Pokemon: The Dark Chronicles
by Malik Kajil
Summary: Two generations after Ash's adventures with Pikachu, chaos strikes!After the fall of Team Rocket, the world was seemingly a better place, but poverty and an economic collapse have struck, filling the world with a resentment for all Pokemon trainers.The story follows the path of Malik, a troubled youth with a dark past, who sets out to change this world for the better, at any cost.
1. Chapter 1

_**POKEMON: DARK CHRONICLES  
**__**Ch.1: Day of the Professor**_

Malik awoke in the early morning of Pallet Town's warm, spring air. Despite his restlessness of the night before, he felt wide awake, mostly due to the sound of his alarm squawking 'pidgey, pidgey' at maximum volume. Sliding out of his bed, he glanced, as usual, at the poster of Ash, Pallet Town's proudest champion. He glared for a moment, then continued to get ready for his long day. His thoughts trailed to the poverty they were facing, and while Ash had become a great Pokémon master, it seemed he had all but abandoned his home town.

He made a half-baked attempt to brush back his long, white hair, but the effort was a useless gesture. He strapped on his black jeans, and a black and white t-shirt, then packed his bag. Today, the professor had promised him a Pokémon. For the past three years he had studied and trained for this moment, and had vowed to restore Pallet Town to its former glory.

Not long after Team Rocket had been thwarted for the last time by the great trainer, they had withdrawn from all of their funding, which included the professor's lab experiments and studies. Giovanni was gone forever, and now bandits and thugs rummaged through the town when they pleased. As Malik put on his black coat, a slight cringe flowed through him as the scar on his right eye tingled briefly.

The mild flashback of the day his father had died, at the hands of Giovanni, seared through his mind once more. Jerking his head away, he looked up in time to see his older brother, Fakir, looking at him the way he always did. From time to time, he would talk about the pain, and the way he felt when the gun was fired. All because his father refused to give up his children to a mad man, who seemed to think they had special powers yet to be awakened. Today, however, there was no time for dark memories, and he rushed outside in a mad dash.

In no time at all, he had arrived at Professor Oak's lab. Like her grandfather, Professor Oak had an enormous excitement for learning all kinds of things about Pokémon, but Malik had made it clear that he wasn't out to be an errand boy. His mission was to become the strongest, and in his fame and glory, restore Pallet Town to its former glory.

He stepped inside, hearing the familiar hum of high-tech computers, and seeing the machines he fondly recalled performing maintenance on. The young professor was awaiting him, with that sassy yet serene look, almost demotivating in a way. It was as if he could never quite meet her expectations, and yet she adored him completely. She was only two years older than him, but they rarely had time for chit-chat, as he was always fixing some broken machine or another, sometimes the same one in a day.

The few assistants that had remained had paid no attention to him as he ran past them in a panting rush. He stopped just short of a table with three poke balls on it. One blue, one red, and one green. He knew they were Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasaur.

Squirtle, the water Pokémon, whose blue scaly skin and hard shell made it both fast in the water, and tough on the land. Charmander, the fire Pokémon, with a white-hot flame on the end of its tail and body power to match, this was a Pokémon to be cautioned with. Finally, there was Bulbasaur, the grass Pokémon, whose massive bulb made its grass-type moves lethal, and made it hard to knock out as it absorbed the sun's rays.

All three were good Pokémon, and it was hard for him to decide, but he had finally chosen to go with Bulbasaur. He reached down for the ball, but when it opened, only air came out. Aggravated at being both late, and deprived of a Bulbasaur, he reached down for the Squirtle next. Again there was nothing, and a heated mixture of aggravation and panic swept over him.

This was it, he knew, and if Charmander wasn't inside this ball, he would have to wait yet another year before he could set out on his mission. He grabbed the ball, mustered all his energy, and thrust it at the ground hard. A moment later the ball popped open, but again, there was nothing inside.

Feeling his heart sink deeply, he glanced at the professor who was just chuckling at him. He snarled, but held his tongue. Ever since his father had died, he had taken a vow of silence, speaking only to Fakir on rare occasions. He stormed over with an expectant look on his face, and he knew she was hiding something from him.

"Calm down silly, I told you I had the perfect Pokémon for you," she said in her feathery, light voice.

Her voice, though Malik would never admit it to himself, soothed him. All the pain and rage and anguish, all seemingly vanished as her mouth opened to him, caressing his soul. She reached out and handed him a Moon Ball. It felt heavier than the others, and he felt the energy inside it, almost familiar in a way.

How he had known what Pokémon was inside was still a mystery to him, but he threw the ball nonetheless, and sure enough, out popped an Eevee. At first, he was slightly annoyed, but then he remembered what he had read about Eevees. They had yet to discover all its evolutions, though the known evolutions were very strong. He smirked and walked towards it, but it began growling. Then he heard her voice again:

"I think you two were made for each other. We found him in a burned down daycare, covered in soot and ashes. Were it not for my team of specialists, it is unlikely that Eevee would have survived."

Malik's expression grew sad, slightly, and he reached down to pet the Eevee. He noticed its furry coat and bushy tail, all a very fine, light-grey color. This seemed unusual, as all the images of Eevee he had seen were brown and white. Its big, blue eyes were shimmering up at him, but just as his hand was within reach, the Eevee's teeth latched onto his hand.

He jumped up angrily, letting out a pained groan, and thrust his hand violently through the air. The Eevee, however, had a powerful bite, and refused to let go. It's teeth sank in hard, drawing blood, and breaking two of his fingers. Finally, he slammed it as hard as he could onto the side table, knocking off the remaining empty poke balls, and the Eevee let go.

As he sat down, the Eevee ran to its Moon Ball, and went inside it hastily. Angrily, he picked it up and threw it in his bag, then went to wash his hands off.  
"I'm sorry about that," Oak said unapologetically, "I think it's just going to take a while for him to warm up to you. After all it's been through, I'm surprised it didn't just run away."  
Run away, like Malik had thought of doing so many times. He couldn't though, even if he wanted to. Not only did he have nowhere to go, but he had something to protect, and to save. He turned around and almost spoke, but then he walked out quietly. Watching him with a mixture of concern, and hope, Professor Oak just let out a sigh, and continued her studies.

This was Malik's first challenge, and even though he knew so much, he knew he still had a lot to learn about Pokémon, and a lot to learn about Eevee.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Ch. 2: The Bond**_

Malik had ventured for the entire day, not a single Pokémon in sight, and finally found a good camping spot in the middle of a small clearing. The moon had come out, a calm, waning moon, and the stars shimmered down beautifully. Though he knew they were alone, Malik could almost feel the life of the forest around him. His stomach growled, and it occurred to him that he hadn't eaten all day.

Malik forced Eevee to come out of its ball, and refused to let it rest until it ate something. It seemed that neither one of them liked talking, but if they had spoken, the argument would have been brutal. It was a test, Malik knew, of how he was going to handle it. The way he reacted now would decide their fate together, as Pokémon and master, and you could cut the tension with a knife. Malik had made a special mix of Pokémon food, passed down through his family of breeders and trainers, but Eevee turned it's nose. Malik, however, was eating a thick, juicy hamburger, loaded with bacon and melted cheese.

Eevee sniffed the air hungrily, but Malik snarled and pointed at his hand, which was now wrapped in bandages, and splinted. Eevee walked over casually, but as Malik watched suspiciously, Eevee licked the tips of his broken fingers softly. He sighed, closing his eyes, and gave Eevee his food. Happily, Eevee trotted back to where it had sat with the burger stuffed in its mouth, and scarfed it down with great satisfaction.

Malik watched the furry little fox in slight amusement, and smiled a little. It had been so long since he had felt happiness, but it was possible, he realized, with his Eevee.  
"Was that good?"

He had spoken the words without conscious thought, and Eevee growled and nearly jumped out of its skin. Malik thought to himself for a moment, astonished that he had actually spoken. He looked back at Eevee, then spoke again:

"My family was taken from me too, you know. When I was young, my mother died of illness, and then when I was just eight years old, my father was shot in front of my eyes. Had the police not arrived when they did, I probably wouldn't be here sharing my burger with you."

Eevee looked at him with a suspicious look, scanning him for any hidden motives. He knew it would take more than that to win over his Eevee, but at least it was a start. He began making another burger, and offered Eevee its poke ball, but it shook it's head in resistance. Before he could react any further, Eevee crawled over to his lap, and fell asleep.

Malik had fallen into a deep sleep, but the sound of crunching and rustling had startled him, and he jolted upright. Eevee, who had been happily drooling on his lap, was face first in the dirt growling angrily. A wild Houndour was helping itself to the food Malik had left out for Eevee, and although Eevee had not wanted it, it was obvious that Eevee did not want to share either.  
Eevee rushed forward and slammed into the unsuspecting Houndour, sending it flying into a nearby tree. Malik stepped forward casually, and recalled what he knew about Houndour. The dark/fire type hound, with hard protective bones and sharp fangs, was rumored as a bad omen Pokémon. It's claws were just as lethal as its fiery breath, and the skull on it's head a mere symbol of the bad omens it caused.

The Houndour snarled viciously at Eevee, and in an instant, a massive flame fired from its mouth like a blow torch. Eevee dodged it seamlessly, but a sharp claw met it on the other side of the flame, and Eevee was knocked backwards. Malik almost shouted a command, but Eevee was already on it. Using double-team, Eevee split itself into multiple copies, and the Houndour spout flames angrily. Eevee again dodged the flames, and as the clawed paw sliced through thin air, Eevee hit Houndour hard from the left, and slammed it into the tree.

Eevee was growling viciously as the Houndour stumbled upright and glared back at them. Smirking, Malik pointed his finger at Houndour. As if Eevee had read his mind, it shot out a massive shadow ball of energy, and smashed the Houndour once again into the tree. The energy had left a slight decay on the trunk of the oak tree, and the Houndour was twitching slightly. Eevee sat back patiently, awaiting the next command, but Malik reached, instead, for his poke ball.

It didn't take long for the Houndour to submit to the ball, and Malik pat Eevee on the head proudly.  
"That was quick thinking on your part, buddy. Good job."  
He couldn't explain it, but it just felt right talking to Eevee instead of honoring his personal vow of silence. He felt a sense of trust and companionship he hadn't felt since his father was around. As he walked back to his camp site, Eevee was following him, and playfully jumping at the poke ball on his hip.

He lied down, and closed his eyes happily. His first night out and he already had a new Pokémon. As Malik returned to his slumber, however, his dreams were still being haunted by the scars of his past, and Eevee could feel the dark emotions plaguing his heart as well.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Ch.3: Panic At The City Limits!**_

Route 1 had taken no time at all for Malik and Eevee to cross, and the warm breeze had been a blessing after the cold night. He would have built a fire, but Houndour needed a long rest after the intense battle, and Eevee still hadn't warmed up to it either. Malik was beginning to see the major trust issues that Eevee had with other Pokémon, but he knew if he wanted to become a great trainer, he would have to break that bad habbit.

After about half an hour of walking, Malik finally found Viridian City on the horizon. It seemed to almost sparkle in the distance, a proud monument to Kanto's sheltered past. Malik had been here before, either scrounging for spare parts or buying equipment, and knew the city well enough. The strange thing he saw, however, seemed completely new, and he cautiously made his way towards it.

The large, metal bars blocking the city's entrance seemed to be controlled by levers, which were being operated on either side by a mysterious figure in black. As he approached, a young woman with blue hair, who seemed short for her age, smiled and spoke up in excitement:  
"Well well, what do we have here? Another young traveler out on his first Pokémon journey, I see?"

Malik ignored them completely, and continued walking towards the city gates. The other young person, a dark-haired boy, wearing the same mysterious outfit, stepped in front of him.

"Whoah there, laddy, you can't just walk into Viridian City without payin' your toll. That will be ten zennies."

Malik glared at him angrily, and noticed the thug's hand-held out expectantly in front of him. Malik looked down at Eevee, who was looking back in confusion, and Malik knew Eevee had sensed his suspicion. As Eevee began growling deeply, Malik grabbed the thug's hand and twisted it, popping a few bones here and there, then kneed him in the stomach hard.

"Hey, you! You can't just go around attacking people like that," shouted the girl angrily, "I guess someone's going to have to teach you some manners!"

Malik looked over in time to see her throwing out a poke ball. Lazily, Malik reached for his own, but Eevee was already on the battle field. Her poke ball exploded open, revealing a Purrloin. The Purrloin glared at them both, with a slight grin across its face. Before Malik could attack, however, the young man got up and threw his poke ball as well.

"Don't think I'm going to sit by after you so viciously attacked me, you jerk!"

Out popped his Pokémon as well, this time, Malik was looking at the dark brown spikes of a Sandslash. Reaching for his second Pokémon, Malik heard foot steps rushing behind him.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size, Team Rocket?"

It was a female's voice that Malik heard, but he hadn't seen anyone when he approached. He turned to look at her, and his heart stopped. She was beautiful, with long brown hair, sparkling green eyes, and Malik's thoughts almost drifted away. Eevee bit his leg hard, noticing his distraction, and he came to once more. She threw out her poke ball, and out came her Marshtomp.

Malik had read only a little about Marshtomp, how their skin absorbed water and allowed them to go on dry land for weeks at a time, and how powerful this stored water could be as well. It was said they could generate more water pressure than a small power plant.

"So," said the young man, "It's a double battle then."

All four of them smirked in anticipation, and the battle was on. Eevee rushed forward first, and Malik saw that it wanted to be the center of attention. Rushing at the Purrloin, Eevee hit it hard as it tried to dodge. The girl called out to her Purrloin, and it's tail lashed out violently. Eevee rushed forward in a quick-attack, dodging left and right. Seemingly on instinct, the boy's Sandslash pinned Eevee down, but Marshtomp fired a spray of water on the girl's command.

As Sandslash reared back in pain, Eevee dodged Purrloin's jaws as it attempted to bite down hard. Eevee gathered it's energy, and again fired a large, dark ball of energy. Purrloin was knocked way back, and Sandslash was barely hanging on. Marshtomp kicked up some dirt, and as it spewed water, the mud was fired at Sandslash in a single shot.

Eevee proudly trotted back to Malik, wagging it's tail, but when Malik tried to pet him, Eevee turned away.

"You got lucky this time kid, but next time you won't be."

"Yeah," said the boy, as he held his broken hand, "Don't think you've seen the last of Team Rocket!"

They ran off in a hurry, but as Malik just sighed, he seemed more interested in the mysterious girl who had helped him. He turned around to thank her, but she was nowhere to be found. It seemed that, just as she had mysteriously appeared, she had equally vanished. Malik thought for a moment, then sent out Houndour.

He pet Houndour on the head and looked over at the strange contraption blocking the city. Houndour, seemingly understanding the gesture, growled deeply, then immediately shot flames at the metal thing. The heat was intense, Malik thought, even for a Houndour. The steel melted, and the way to Viridian City was now wide open once again.

Just as Malik entered the city gates, the police were already rushing to the scene past him, along with a clean up crew.

"You're a strange one."

It was the girl's voice, he heard, and he stopped to look around.

"I'm up here, silly," she said from atop the gate, "You know, I've never seen someone battle their Pokémon without saying a single word. Are you a psychic or something?"

"How did you get up there," Malik asked, with a confused look on his face.

"Well if I told you that, it wouldn't be a secret now would it?"

"I didn't know it was a secret," Malik replied.

The girl opted to show him around town, even though he told her several times that he was familiar with the city's layout. They spent most of the day looking at different stores, markets, and even found a training gym for starting trainers. However, after eating lunch, she received a call from her mother in Cerulean City, and she left him in a flash.

Malik had promised to look her up when he got there, but he had forgotten to ask her what her name was. Up until now, Eevee had been in its Moon Ball, angry at Malik for letting this girl tag along. Was he really jealous of her?

Malik sent Eevee back out of its ball, and when it noticed the girl was gone, Eevee wagged it's tail happily and took the food off of her plate. Malik realized that Houndour must be just as hungry, and sent him out too.

"Hey kid," said one of the waiters, "What do you think you're doing? You can't just let those animals roam around like that, this is a restaurant!"

Malik looked confused, but let his Pokémon eat regardless, after all they weren't hurting anyone. He found himself being tossed out of the restaurant by two large bouncers, along with his Pokémon. He felt a mixture of both anger, and confusion go through him, but he decided to let it go.

He would just get the gym badge, and move on to the next town for now, after all, he didn't have time to argue sentiments with a few waiters in a diner. He took Eevee, and set out for the gym.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Ch.4: All Choked Up**_

Malik felt confused about being thrown out of the restaurant, and why had that waiter called them animals? It seemed a rather vulgar term for Pokémon, and getting thrown out for having them out of their balls seemed odd to him. Something about Viridian City seemed wrong, but he couldn't tell what it was.

He was almost at the gym now, but something was wrong. The windows were boarded up, and the door had chains and padlocks on it. There was no one in sight, but the sign next to the entrance was perfectly legible:

"NOTICE TO ALL TRAINERS: The gym has hereby been foreclosed due to the lack of a gym leader. In order to get this badge, you must perform a service for local law enforcement using your Pokémon. Thank You."

Malik facepalmed, realizing he should have taken credit for getting rid of those thugs at the gates. Now how was he going to earn his badge? Eevee layed down in a huff, seemingly sharing in his depression.

"It's not fair I know. I wasn't expecting this, that's for sure."

Eevee just twitched its ear, and yawned slightly. As Malik turned around, he came face to face with a strange-looking woman. She was wearing a mask, all white, with stripes over the eye holes. She looked menacing, but Malik did not scare easily.

He was, however, impressed by her very dashing attire. She wore renaissance style clothes, red and white, and her red hair was stylishly trimmed as well.

"Hello there, young one, I am the Crimson Jewel!"

Malik took a step back, and realized she must be a vigilante. Eevee growled a little, and reared back in a threatening growl.

"It's rare to meet someone who doesn't imprison their Pokemon in balls, it truly is a pleasure. I wish I could chat more, but I have work to do."

Then she vanished, seemingly out of nowhere, in a cloud of smoke from a smoke bomb. Malik coughed and stepped back, waving the smoke away, and looked down at Eevee. Not long afterwards, an officer walked over to them both in a hurry.

"Which way did she go? The Crimson Jewel! Where did she go?"

Malik just shrugged, and shook his head while still coughing. He realized he must have missed out on a lot if he didn't even know about a notorious person with such an extravagant name.

"You should be more carefull, son. She's a dangerous thief of Pokémon. She's been taking people's Pokémon, and releasing them into the wild. We've been tracking her for weeks now."

Malik looked at the officer confused, then noticed his badge: "Officer J. Roy"

"I don't suppose you need any favors done, do you officer?"

At first the cop seemed confused, but then he chuckled slightly.

"Oh, I get it, you need the gym badge. Tell you what, I'll battle you for it. You beat me in a battle, you win the Earth Badge."

Malik looked at the officer in shock for a moment, but he agreed. He needed that badge, and if beating this chump won it for him, then so be it. Just as they prepared for battle, however, the cop threw off his uniform.

The fake mustache was gone, along with the outfit and hat. The young trainer in front of him was very sharply dressed, and his hair was slicked back. His dark eyes seemed all too sinister, yet Malik was unimpressed. Malik had sensed something was out-of-place ever since he noticed the mustache was a fake.

"Allow me to properly introduce myself," said the boy, "I am Giovanni Jr.!"

Malik's eyes grew wide, and a sharp pain shot through his chest. Could this be the son of Giovanni, the notorious crime lord of Team Rocket? Yes, he saw it now, the family resemblance. The eyes were almost the same, and his grin was equally devious. There was absolutely nothing good about him at all.

Giovanni Jr. sent out his Growlithe, yet another Pokémon Malik was familiar with. the fire type dog, with stripes like a tiger and a powerful body. Growlithe was known for both its speed and power, but also for its gorgeous fluffy coat and tail. Eevee, instead of rushing into battle, looked up at Malik to await his decision. Smiling, Malik reached for his belt, and sent out Houndour.

"Ah a Houndour," Giovanni Jr. said mildly, "An excellent choice for a Pokémon."

The battle ensued instantly, with Houndour dodging Growlithe's ember attacks left and right. Malik closed his eyes, and instead of black, he saw energy streams. There was Growlithe's unmistakable flame, spouting wildly, and then there was a shadowy flame trickling faintly. He knew that it must belong to Houndour, and he focused on it.

Suddenly his eyes were seeing from Houndour's perspective, and he naturally knew what was going on. He was linked psychically with Houndour, and he could now command him. He began thinking, and Houndour was responding with action in battle.

Growlithe rushed forward at his master's command, and hit Houndour hard. Malik felt it too, and responded. Houndour, still being knocked back by Growlithe, bit down hard on it's back. Growlithe began writhing in extreme pain, and Houndour began to pulsate with dark energy. Its fangs glowed red and burst into flames.

Growlithe was struggling even more now, but even though it was in pain, Giovanni Jr. refused to call it back. It wasn't until Houndour drew blood that Growlithe was called back, and Houndour returned to Malik's side proudly.

"It seems your Houndour has more power than I originally gave it credit for. No matter, your Pokémon wont stand a chance against Machoke."

Smirking, Giovanni Jr. sent out his Machoke. This Machoke was massive, and Malik noticed Houndour taking a nervous step back. Malik knew about Machoke, but had never actually heard about one being used in battle. Machoke's were used more as worker Pokémon in construction sites. Malik shot a disciplined look at Houndour, and Houndour stepped forward to battle.

"So, you're really foolish enough to challenge me with your dark type Pokemon, eh? Oh well, your loss."

Malik reconnected his link with Houndour, and the next battle ensued. Machoke was strong, but Houndour's speed was giving it the edge. Houndour hopped from side to side, dodging Machoke's chops and punches. Although Houndour was much faster, it didn't have time to land a strong hit, and only managed to hit Machoke with a few embers here and there.

Giovanni Jr. began to lose his patience, and shouted at Machoke to end this battle quickly. Machoke lunged forward, anticipating Houndour's dodge, and put Houndour in a submission hold. Houndour was caught off guard, and Machoke was bending him in half. Malik felt every last bit of pain, and when Houndour yelped out in pain, Malik withdrew him to his poke ball.

Giovanni Jr. was laughing hystericly, but Malik was angrier than he had ever been before. He looked down at Eevee, and Eevee stepped onto the field. Machoke looked at Eevee with a look of boredom and disappointment. Eevee growled, and twitched it's tail rapidly.

Machoke lunged forward, preparing to attack, but Eevee had moved too quickly for Machoke to notice. Eevee hit Machoke hard in the gut, and Machoke stumbled back. On Malik's telepathic command, Eevee gathered its energy for a shadow ball attack. Machoke's face turned a brighter grey with fear, and Eevee fired the ball as hard as it could.

Malik thought the fight was over, but something unusual happened. Machoke was pushing the shadow ball back, struggling with the ghoulish energy pulsating in its hands. Machoke's muscles were bulging intensely as well, and it even began to sweat a little. With a mighty roar, Machoke punched the energy as hard as it could, and the ball went flying back towards Eevee.

Eevee managed to dodge the attack, but the ball crashed into the sign instead, and now the sign read: "ALL TRAINERS lack of a gym leader." Eevee rushed again, but this time Machoke's massive fist powered into Eevee's ribs. Malik heard a few of them crack, and Eevee let out a loud cry in pain.

Malik's heart sank as Eevee fell to the ground limply, and he ran over to check on Eevee. Giovanni Jr. was smirking, and Malik felt his rage building.

"Sorry kid, today's just not your lucky day. Maybe next time."

With that, Giovanni Jr. walked away calmly. Malik ran as fast as he could to the nearest Pokémon center. He wasn't sure if Eevee would survive or not, but he would try his best from now on. He realized that he actually cared about Eevee, stubborn or not, because it was _his _Eevee.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Ch. 5: Sins of the Fathers**_

Malik sat in the waiting room, being constantly scolded by the doctors and nurses. As if he didn't already feel bad enough about it, and he couldn't help but feel concerned for Eevee and Houndour. They had both been placed in ICU for their injuries, Eevee's broken ribs, and Houndour's fractured spine.

Malik had been here since that morning, even though they had told him to come back the next day. He finally fell asleep, but his dreams were horrifying. Malik was in an alleyway, and Giovanni was standing in front of him.

"Do you have what I've asked you for," Giovanni asked.

Malik felt himself trembling in fear, but something was different. A small, courageous flame began to spark inside him.

"I am sorry, boss, but I will not allow you to experiment on my children. Pokémon are one thing, but not my children. My answer is no, and that's final."

"You are aware of what happens to those who oppose the mighty Giovanni?"

"I'm not afraid of you, and you can't control me anymore. I have a family now, and I'm going to raise them right so they never repeat my mistakes."

Giovanni stepped forward, and pulled out a poke ball. Grinning, he sent out his Persian. The large, sand colored cat prowled forward, and began to lunge. Malik felt a gun in his hand, and it fired. The gun went off, but before it could hit its target, the Persian had turned his hand.

Malik looked down, and saw his own blood on his hand. He looked back at Giovanni who was saying something, and he was sure it wasn't good. Before he could finish, however, police sirens could be heard, with their distorted sound filling the air. Malik collapsed, and then awoke back in the Pokémon Center, drenched in sweat.

A nurse was watching him with a concerned look on her face, but he shook it off and went to the bathroom to wash up. It was already morning, he noticed, and sure enough a nurse came bursting out of the ICU hallway, with two poke balls.

"You should be more carefull next time," scolded the nurse, "What if they hadn't survived the battle? You shouldn't be so selfish with your Pokémon. Be more responsible next time!"

Malik let Eevee out of its Moon Ball, and was holding him close. Eevee looked up at Malik, exhausted and tired, and licked Malik on the cheek. Malik watched happily, and just as Eevee fell asleep, a familiar face entered the Pokémon Center.

"Malik, there you are," shouted Professor Oak, "I was hoping I'd catch you here. I have a gift for-"

She looked down and saw Eevee, and demanded to know what had happened. Although Malik tried to explain all he had been through, he couldn't speak a word past her scolding lecture. Finally, she calmed down, and handed him a package.

"It's from your brother, Fakir. He said it may come in handy, but I'm not even sure what it is. Well I have to get back, but don't think I won't track you down if I have to, you should be more carefull."

There was that look she always gave him, once again confusing him. He was usually good at reading people, but to him, the professor was a complete mystery. He took Eevee to a nearby spa when it awoke, and Houndour felt up for a nice break from battling as well.

Meanwhile, back at the Viridian Gym, Giovanni Jr. was kneeling in front of a statue of his father, Giovanni. A proud Persian statue lie next to it, almost a monument to the ex-gym leader. Candles were lit, and the peaceful aroma filled the air with calm, soothing energy. Giovanni Jr. let his mind wander, and then he was whisked away.

In this dream state, he embodied his father, Giovanni. He was walking towards Palet Town, already on Route 1, expecting to hear great news. He was going to meet a colleague, and an old friend of his, Dr. Hirasaka. Hirasaka had made an amazing discovery, a new human ability that involved Pokémon.

Intrigued by this, Giovanni had wasted no time in responding to the call from Kalim Hirasaka. He arrived in Pallet Town, a familiar sight to his eyes, and made his way towards his friend's home. The dream shifted, and the two of them were now at a diner in Viridian.

They had been talking idly for the past hour and a half, but Giovanni was a business man, and demanded to hear of the good doctor's discoveries. Hirasaka began talking about his belief in all Pokémon's hidden abilities, and claimed he had discovered a new link between trainers and their Pokemon.

"How did you come across such a fascinating discovery, Kalim?"

"Well, it's my son," the doctor replied, "the other day, a wild Nidoran approached him. As you know, they can be very territorial, but Fakir simply walked over to it, and began talking to it and petting it."

"How interesting, but what does this have to do with your findings?"

"Well it's only a theory, but I strongly believe that there is a way to communicate with Pokémon beyond words. With that kind of power, we could have any Pokémon we wanted."

This intrigued Giovanni very much, in fact, he began to make random visits to Dr. Hirasaka's home. One day, they had met in a dark alley, where the doctor had studied Grimers in their suburban habitats. That's when things took a turn for the worst.

Giovanni was impressed by Fakir and Malik's abilities, and wanted to run his experiments on them to use those abilities. When the doctor refused, Giovanni sent out Persian to try to persuade him. In a crazed panic, the doctor pulled out a gun, but the Pokémon was too fast, and the doctor accidentally shot himself. There was a boy there, but before Giovanni could approach him, there were police sirens and lights on everywhere, and so he vanished.

Giovanni Jr. awoke from his trance, and looked up at the statue. He had promised so many times to complete his father's work, but he had yet to meet the doctor's children, or so he thought. He did not have their abilities, but he desired them more than anything else in the world.

Back at the spa, Malik and his Pokémon were relaxing and taking a load off. Eevee began splashing around in the water happily, and Houndour was swiping at the bubbles playfully. After a few hours, they left and set out for the next step in their journey, the Viridian Forest.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Ch. 6: Cutting In**_

Malik arrived with Eevee at the entrance to the Viridian Forest, but they were stopped by a strange little man with big, black sunglasses. He was much shorter than Malik, but his grey and bushy mustache, and curly grey hair made it obvious that he was much older.  
"Ah, going into that forest are ya," he said casually, "If I were you I'd be carefull, ever since they built that bridge to the Johto region, all kinds of Pokémon have settled in Kanto. That forest is stocked full of dangerous bug Pokémon now."

Malik looked at the old man, smiling slightly, and looked down at Eevee. Eevee looked back at Malik, then at the old man, and then back at Malik in confusion.

"Ah yes," said the elderly figure, "That's a fine Pokémon you've got there, I'm sure you'll be safe. In that case, perhaps I can interest you in some useful items?"

Malik shook his head in refusal, after all not only was he flat broke, he had no interest in buying things that weren't on a shelf. He waved the old man off, and headed into the forest. Eevee was growling as they walked past, but the old man was just muttering and chuckling to himself.

Malik walked a few steps, then sat down to relax. The city had been so hectic and loud, and after that battle with Giovanni Jr. and the Team Rocket thugs, he was getting very concerned. Reaching into his bag for food, his hand came across the package Fakir had sent him. He had completely forgotten about it, and pulled it out to inspect it. Finding a note on the top of the box, he read it aloud to Eevee:

"Dear brother,

I hope you are doing well. Things here have gotten quiet, and rumors of you leaving are starting to spread. You've brought so much hope to our small town already, and I know you will make us proud. I heard that you and Eevee had a pretty rough second day, and I hope he is alright. I'm sending you a special poke ball, since I know you will soon arrive at the Viridian Forest. It's especially made for catching bug-type Pokémon, and I made it myself. You know my poke balls are world-famous! -Fakir"

Malik folded the letter, and placed it in the front pocket of his bag. He opened the box, and a shiny new Pokeball glinted in the sunset. It didn't look like anything he had ever seen, and it's design was one of a kind. The top half was green, with two brown stripes on the top, and the bottom half was completely black. The open button was also brown, and a white strand sealed it shut.

Eevee leaned over to sniff it curiously, but upon smelling it, Eevee growled and put its ears back in rejection.

"Well," said Malik, "It's made for bug type Pokémon, and you're not a bug are you?"

Eevee turned its head away with its eyes closed, and pouted. Malik paid no attention, and began looking around the forest for any signs of Pokémon. After a few hours, he heard a bush shuffling off to the right. On mental command, Eevee went after whatever it was, but once it entered the bush, it was gone. Malik walked over to see where it had gone, but as soon as he got close, a large, sharp wing-like appendage sliced past his nose.

He jumped back just in time to dodge the wild Pokemon's next attack, and grabbed a fallen tree branch to protect himself. Just as the Scyther's massive blades rushed forward, Eevee slammed into it from the side hard. The wild Scyther stumbled upright, and hissed at Eevee. Eevee growled and stood protectively in front of Malik, twitching it's tail aggressively.

Scyther glared at Eevee, then rushed forward with blinding speed. Eevee tried it's best to keep up, with both Pokémon ferociously attacking and dodging simultaneously, but Scyther was just too fast. Eevee was hit hard, and fell to the side after a few seconds. However, before Malik could send out Houndour, Scyther was rushing at him.

Malik dived down, again narrowly escaping those fatal blades, and picked up the tree branch. Scyther was doubling back, and cut the branch in half. Malik frowned at the branch, and tossing it aside, he braced himself for the last attack. Scyther rushed, and just as he was about to cut Malik down, he was hit by a massive ball of dark energy.

Malik looked over at Eevee, who was panting and growling at the same time, then back at Scyther. Scyther had been hit so hard, it was laying flat on the ground, and couldn't get up. Malik reached for the Insect Ball his brother had made, and got ready to capture Scyther.

He couldn't help but think of what he knew about Scythers due to his excitement of actually encountering one in person. Scythers were a mix of bug and flying, giving it the edge over other bug type Pokémon, and their speed and agility were noted as some of the fastest in the world. Next to that, only their razor-sharp arms could compare, making their cutting attacks not only powerful, but lethal.

Malik expanded the Pokeball, and Scyther looked up helplessly. In a proud and mighty toss, the Insect Ball pegged Scyther on the wing, and it was sucked in. It took much longer this time, but the Scyther finally succumbed to the ball. Malik proudly walked over to retrieve the ball along with Eevee, who was trotting just as proudly. Malik smiled, chuckling slightly at both Eevee and the fact that his brother's Pokeball making skills had improved.

Finding yet another camp site, Malik thought back to a few years ago. Fakir, who was just a teenager at the time, had gained a sudden fascination in Pokeballs, and how they worked. One day, he ran to the market while their father was out, and bought himself a Pokeball. It cost him his entire allowance, but he was so happy that he smiled for days.

When Malik had returned home, however, his mood was altered. Fakir knew something was wrong, but he hardly gave thought to the matter, and ran to his room to play with his newly acquired Pokeball. For hours on end, Malik heard the familiar clank of Fakir's tools and equipment, the grumbling frustration, and finally a shout of success.

The next day, Fakir showed Malik his upgraded Pokeball, and proudly proclaimed:

"Look brother, I've increased the resonance of the Pokeball to make the capture stream smoother. If my calculations are correct, this Pokeball should easily be twice as strong as it was before."

"But brother, how do you know? What if it's been made weaker?"

"Nonsense, I'll prove it! I'll go capture a Pokémon with it without damaging the Pokémon in any way."

He immediately ran outside, and Malik slumped into the couch with a heavy sigh. He hadn't yet told his brother what had happened the day before, and he wasn't sure if he ever could. The event was still fresh in his mind, and he was crying, he realized, heavily. Flashing through his mind, the Persian's deadly leap, and then the gunshot.

Fakir came bursting in through the door, panting and with his clothes torn to shreds. He was covered in dirt, and had a few scratches here and there, some were on his shoulders and arms.

"You were right brother, it was way too weak, and the Pokeball exploded!"

Malik ran over to catch him as he collapsed from exhaustion, and helped him over to the couch. They both sat down, and Fakir's face shifted slightly in confusion. He looked up at Malik, who was looking slightly concerned, and spoke up:

"Where has dad been? With that man again? Why hasn't he come home yet, I'm hungry?"

Malik froze in shock, and he wasn't sure if he could bring himself to tell his brother what had happened. He liked it much better when Fakir was just being himself, and being happy more importantly. The last thing he wanted to do was to upset his older brother even further, but then the ten-year old mustered the courage to speak:

"Dad's...dad is gone, he's gone," he stammered.

"What do you mean," asked Fakir in a shaky voice, "Like work gone, or vacation gone?"

"He's gone," said Malik, looking up with tears in his eyes, "He's dead! That man...that man killed dad!"

Fakir was taken back hard, and went into slight shock. Malik saw a look of pain and sadness swell in his eyes, and Fakir began crying with his head down. Clenching his fists, he wiped away his tears, and looked over at Malik who was crying as well.

"It's just us now," Fakir said in a firm voice, "It's just me and you, and since I'm older, that means I'm in charge now."

Malik didn't argue, and that night they ate their dinner, which consisted of roasted pidgey and some oran berries. Fakir had always been a terrible cook, but this time it actually didn't taste too bad, then they went to bed in a heavy silence.

The next day, the police force scheduled their father's funeral, and both boys attended. They had been transported via motorcycle by a woman with blue hair who called herself Jenny, and taken to Lavender town. The funeral was standard and short, but neither of the boys had anything to say. At the end of the wake, a familiar figure stood watching over the proceedings.

Malik knew it was indeed Giovanni who had tossed a red rose onto the coffin, and he felt his rage build dangerously. Fakir, who still had not known the details of the tragic event, placed his hand on Malik's shoulder to calm him down. They returned home quietly, and Malik did not speak for a long time.

Over the next few years, Malik studied nothing but Pokémon, and swore that when he was ready, he would become a true master, and save his town from thugs like Giovanni. Meanwhile, Fakir remained in his room, where he attempted to enhance the strength of Pokeballs, and even began making prototypes of his own. That was how they began to support themselves, but it wasn't enough.

Malik, after a few months, made his way to the lab where Professor Oak was working with his granddaughter, and teaching her about the different machines. She was having a hard time, and Malik walked over to help her out. At first, she rejected his help, saying that the machines were far too advanced for him to comprehend, but he shoved her aside and took a look anyway.

He reached inside, and found a few loose components, along with some hanging wires. He grabbed some tools on instinct, and tightening the components, he simply recoiled the wires together. He stepped back, and after a good kick, the machine hummed to life. The girl just huffed and walked away pouting, but the professor was laughing, slightly impressed by Malik's handy work.

"Well done young man, I've tried to figure out what was wrong with that thing for years. How did you know what was wrong with it?"

Malik hadn't thought of that as he was fixing the machine, and he realized that he had no idea where that knowledge had come from. He was only fifteen now, and he was fixing machines that only technicians were supposed to know how to fix.

"Say," the professor cut in, "How would you like to come work for me in my lab? These machines are always breaking down or something, and I hear you're quite the Pokémon enthusiast."

At that, the girls eyes grew wide, and Malik had wondered how the professor even knew he was studying Pokémon. Malik had done all his studying in his bedroom, usually alone since Fakir was always in the basement working on Pokeballs, so how had the professor known?

"Oh gramps," piped up the girl, "I'm sure he doesn't want to come work in some boring lab fixing machines all day, after all I'm sure he likes his comfy room much better than a rusty old lab."

Malik blushed, and realized that she must have watched him this entire time. How long had she known he was studying Pokémon, and just how had he not noticed it? He looked up at the professor smiling, and shook his head yes. For the next two years, Malik worked on fixing the machines in the lab, and Fakir made his money by selling enhanced Pokeballs and prototypes to trainers and merchants.

Two years passed by, and Malik was ready. That day, the professor had told him they had just received a shipment of rare Pokémon in need of trainers. With this, Malik went to bed early, and prepared for the next day. That night, he dreamed a complete nightmare, and was once again reliving that horrifying scene in the alley.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Ch. 7: A Shocking Experience**_

As Malik dwelled on the memory, Eevee just sat in his lap, relaxing and snuggling happily. Perfectly content, Eevee paid no mind to its past as long as Malik was around. It seemed no one could quite understand Pokémon like he could, and Eevee was now growing very fond of him. Malik gazed blankly into the distance, and hadn't noticed the footsteps coming closer to them.

His thoughts were cut off short as a trainer with long black hair in a red shirt, and black trench coat, approached him. The boy was about his age, if not a couple of years younger, and a sarcastic look was on his face.

"Well well, what do we have here," he said with a grin, "Another newbie trainer dozing off. You know while you're sitting here being lazy, some of us are out there actually doing it! Becoming stronger, and getting badges like these."

He opened his trench coat's left side and flashed four shiny badges. Malik didn't look to see which ones they were, but he woke up Eevee nonetheless. It was obvious this guy was looking for a fight, and Malik didn't plan on disappointing him. Standing up, Malik glared and held two poke balls at the trainer.

"Oh I see, the strong silent type, well then I'll just have to make you talk."

The trainer tossed his poke ball, and sent out a Combusken. Eevee ran forward onto the battle field, but Malik noticed something strange about the opponent's Pokémon. Unlike other Combuskens, this one had a brighter coat of feathers, and it looked slightly shorter. The eyes were blue as well, instead of the usual red color. Swiping its paw and growling deeply, Eevee rushed forward at the Combusken.

Dodging the attack, Combusken kicked Eevee hard, then kicked it again sending it flying back. The trainer called out for a flamethrower attack, but Eevee dodged it easily. Malik had been training Eevee against Houndour, so Eevee naturally was now able to anticipate fire attacks. Eevee got in close, and hit Combusken hard making it stagger back. Frustrated, Combusken lunged forward, and performed the same two kicks, but Eevee dodged this time.

Gathering its energy as the trainer tried to calm Combusken down, Eevee fired a shadow ball hard and fast. In its rage, Combusken took the hit full force, and was knocked down hard. Rushing forward, Eevee pinned it down and bit down on its neck, drawing blood. The trainer reluctantly withdrew Combusken, and reached for another poke ball in his jacket.

"You got lucky, but you'll need more than beginner's luck to beat this Pokémon, go Pikachu!"

His Pikachu busted out of the ball, already over charged with electricity, and Eevee stepped back. Malik decided which Pokémon to send out, and tossed a ball as well. Houndour burst from the ball, and howled proudly. As the Pikachu gathered its energy, Houndour bared its fangs and growled.

The Pikachu rushed forward on command, and fired bolts of electricity left and right. Houndour dodged all of them, and hit Pikachu hard with a skull bash. Staggering back, Pikachu landed on its feet and rushed again. This time, however, Pikachu was moving fast, and it was hard for Houndour to keep up with it. The Pikachu slammed into Houndour hard, and it rolled sideways.

Growling, Houndour fired a stream of flames at the mouse, but missed multiple times. Taking advantage of the Pikachu as it dodged, Houndour managed to bite its back hard. The Pikachu screeched at first, but the its body glowed with a massive pulse of lightning. Houndour shook violently as ten thousand volts of electricity coursed through its body.

Houndour lost its grip, and Pikachu hopped down, then slammed Houndour sideways. Houndour's eyes were glowing red, and it's body also began glowing. With a mighty howl, it exploded with bright red light that streamed everywhere. Both trainers were taken back, but Malik was sure this was what was known as an evolution. When a Pokémon became strong enough, or certain criteria were met, a Pokémon could change to become more powerful.

A moment later, where Houndour once stood, a similar figure stood towering over Pikachu. The skull on its head was now gone, replaced with curled horns, and the bones on it's now muscular back were thicker, and much sharper looking. It's tail had grown longer, and the end boasted a sharp arrow point. It was now a Houndoom, Malik knew, and it now had the edge.

Pikachu was walking backwards nervously, but it was too late. As soon as it moved, the Houndoom was on it, and a massive paw smacked Pikachu hard sending it flying sideways. Swishing it's tail, the Houndoom lunged, and again had Pikachu in its jaws. Biting down hard, this time on its leg, the Houndoom spout thick flames, engulfing the Pikachu completely.

"Okay okay," shouted the trainer, "You win let, now let Pikachu go!"

Malik waved his hand, and Houndoom dropped Pikachu proudly. Pikachu was twitching on the ground, it's leg broken and bleeding, and it's skin scalded from the attack. Malik knew Houndoom had gone easy on the Pikachu, after all, Houndooms were notorious for their fire power. The trainer reluctantly handed Malik two hundred zennies.

"Here," he said, "You won, take it. Well, what are you waiting for? Go on, take it!"

At first, Malik was confused, but he took it anyways. He needed money, and he wasn't about to argue against that kind of money. The trainer put Pikachu in its ball, and began to walk away, but Malik spoke:

"What's your name?"

"My name? You're quiet the entire battle, but now you want to know my name?"

"Well, what is it? Also, why did you pay me?"

"My name is Xenos, and I paid you because that's Pokémon league official rules. When a trainer loses a battle to another trainer, they're supposed to offer payment to the victor."

"Oh, I didn't know that. Well thanks anyway."

"Didn't think you would, with Pokémon like yours, I'm sure you haven't lost a battle yet. I'm going to head for the next town, you're welcome to tag along if you'd like."

And then the trainer walked off, leaving Malik dumbfounded. He quickly grabbed his things, and ran after the trainer, along with Eevee. His next destination: Pewter city, once home to the legendary Brock. He would not leave without a badge this time, even if he had to visit the Pokémon Center multiple times.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Ch. 8: Showdown In Pewter City**_

Malik and Xenos made their way quickly through the Viridian Forest, with Xenos bragging about how he'd been in and out of it multiple times without getting lost. Although he was a good travelling companion, Malik didn't care too much for his bragging, and found himself often annoyed by Xenos. Eevee, who had once again refused to go inside its Moon Ball, was amusing itself by hopping through the trees and bushes, and trying to sneak up on Malik, who was not surprised, and caught Eevee at every attempt.

They finally found the entrance to Pewter City, and this time, Malik was relieved that it was not blocked by Team Rocket. He recalled that incident at the Viridian gates, and chuckled slightly. He distinctly remembered how they had underestimated his Pokémon, much the same way Xenos had done.

"Something funny over there?"

"Oh nothing, I was just remembering something funny," Malik replied casually.

"Oh, you think I'm a joke, huh? You get lucky in one battle because your Pokémon evolved, and you think you're better than me?"

"No, I didn't say-"

"Fine then, I challenge you to a rematch!"

Malik took a step back, but Xenos already cast out his poke ball. Malik's face grew rampant with surprise, and as Xenos' Eevee burst from the ball, he seemed taken back. Malik looked around, but his Eevee was nowhere to be found, most likely still trying to sneak up on Malik.

"Yeah that's right, you're not the only one with a few tricks up their sleeves," Xenos shouted.

Malik was finally starting to get Xenos now, even though they had just met over five hours ago. He seemed to try very hard to impress those around him, even though now it was only he and Malik. It was as if he _had_ to prove himself. Malik called out for Eevee who, after a moment, hopped down out of a nearby tree and entered the battle.

"This time no cheating, it's gonna be my Eevee against yours. Then we'll see who the better trainer is!"

Malik looked over with a stern look, but finally decided just to get this battle over with. He knew if he didn't, he'd never hear the end of it, and so he told Eevee to go all out. Eevee looked over at Xenos' Eevee, and instead of attacking, trotted over wagging it's tail. Malik had an idea of what was going on, but Xenos was in complete shock.

"Wh-What are they doing," shouted Xenos with a slack-jawed face.

"What gender is your eevee?"

"Wh-what? Oh, uh she's a female, why?"

"Mine's a male. I think they're greeting each other."

Both Eevees were curiously sniffing each other, swishing their tails in curiosity, and walking in circles. After a moment, they both cheered happily, and began playing by tackling each other, and nipping at each other's ears and tails.

"Yup, it's official, they like each other. I don't think they'll be fighting any time soon."

"This is ridiculous," shouted Xenos angrily, "I sent you out to battle, not find a boyfriend! What are you waiting for?"

After yelling and shouting some more, Xenos gave up on making the two Eevees battle, and made his Eevee return to its ball. They walked to the entrance of Pewter City, and Xenos was no longer attempting to impress Malik with bragging. Malik smiled, realizing that by pure luck, he had actually got exactly what he wanted: silence.

Pewter City was small in comparison with Viridian, but still managed to boast some impressive shops. There were stores for trainers, and even Pokémon. What caught Malik off guard was a mysterious stand with two figures working the machine.

"Step right up folks, don't be shy! Take a trip up towards the sky," shouted the female.

"Your dream awaits, with this machine, you'll no doubt fly and flail and scream...in excitement of course," rhymed the male figure.

Malik facepalmed, both at how ridiculous they sounded, and when he realized who it was. That's when they noticed him, and they waved him over.

"You there, with the silver Eevee, how would you like to take a trip to the clouds above?"

Malik glared, and noticed them mumbling. Malik had spent plenty of time with people to be able to lip read, in fact it was a skill he practiced often. They were saying something like "Hey it's that guy again, what do we do," and "just act natural, we don't want to blow our cover." Malik glared even more, and walked over to the machine smiling.

"So, wanna give it a shot eh? Go ahead, all you have to do is sit right on top here," said the male, patting the top of the machine.

Malik looked it over, and notice that the exterior was being held together by screws. A few of them near where the engine was running looked loose, and Malik grinned. Standing up calmly, he kneed the machine hard, directly in-between all three loose screws, and the casing fell off. Eevee fired a small shadow ball into the engine, and the machine began whirring violently.

Smiling at Eevee while Xenos just watched, the two goons struggled to keep the machine grounded, but it was going crazy. They were yelling in a frenzied panic, and finally, the machine exploded and blasted off, bringing the two of them with it. Xenos looked over, half-impressed, and looked down at Eevee as he wagged his tail proudly.

"You know them or something," he asked mildly.

"They owe me money," Malik retorted, "So now they can pay it in damages."

The two of them stopped at a diner, not because they were hungry, but because of the sign posted at the entrance: NO POKEMON ALLOWED, VIOLATERS WILL BE KICKED OUT, REPEAT OFFENDERS WILL BE ARRESTED!

Malik looked down at Eevee, who seemed equally confused. Xenos didn't seem phased at all, in fact is was as if he already knew something that Malik didn't. Malik kicked him in the shin, and Xenos went down grabbing his leg.

"Alright, alright," he cried, "I'll explain it, jeez. Awhile back, there were two men in an alley in Viridian city, one of them had a Pokémon, and the other didn't. Something bad happened, and ever since then, Pokémon have been banned from all public places not specifically made for Pokémon. Long story short, you can only take your Pokémon to a Pokémon Center, or a Poke Mart, but nowhere else."

Malik looked back at the sign in shock, and he realized that it must have been the same incident with his father. He sat down at a nearby table, feeling nauseated.

"Are you alright," asked Xenos, "Did I say something wrong?"

Malik just shook his head, but Eevee was tugging at his pants. Two waiters were walking over towards them, but Malik had already snapped. It wasn't fair to exclude Pokémon, if anything, they should ban trainers as well. Pokémon aren't bad, people are, but Pokémon are loyal.

His mind was so full that he didn't even think when the waiters grabbed his arms. Instinctively, he flipped them both over, and snapped their arms. Angrily, they got up and started swinging at him, but his skills were too good. Dodging effortlessly, he blocked a right hook from one and swept his legs. While the waiter was still in the air, his eyes glowed white, and he kneed the waiter in the stomach hard, making him cough up blood.

Next, the second waiter swung at the back of Malik's head, but Malik dropped down, and kicked out backwards. The waiter lost his footing, and fell face first, crashing into a nearby table. Xenos grabbed Malik, and they both ran away from the restaurant. They made it a good distance, but the police were on them in no time, and Malik was immediately tackled and cuffed.

Malik awoke the next day in a jail cell, and his Pokémon were on a table inside their balls outside of his cell. He was in an orange jumpsuit, and the bed he was on was made of metal which made the unnatural coldness of the cell even more unbearable. He heard a buzzing noise vibrate the walls, and in walked Xenos, who it appeared had not been arrested.

"Good job, bro," he said sarcastically, "I'm with you for one day and you've already managed to shatter my reputation. I don't know whether to buy you a bike, or give you my best punch right now."

Malik glared, and was about to say something, but Xenos waved his hand for silence.

"It's already taken care of, and I've posted your bail," Xenos continued, and Malik got a surprised look on his face, "Yeah, that's right, I'm here to pick you up, jail-bird."

Malik rubbed his eyes, and nodded at Xenos in gratitude. He thought back to the incident at the restaurant. He had always been a good fighter, but the problem was that he acted on instinct too often. What he _wasn't_ used to was having his eyes glow solid white, nor being able to move that quickly. Was that just his imagination, or had he really anticipated all of their attacks somehow?

A few hours later, he was walking the streets of the city once again, and Eevee was happy to be out of its ball. They stopped at the store to pick up some food, and a messenger was waiting for Malik. He had yet another package from his brother, Fakir. Malik took it, and Xenos bugged him for the next few minutes, until finally, Malik opened it.

There was no letter this time, but yet again, his brother had perfected another Pokeball. This one was silver on the top, and the bottom was crimson colored. He noticed a handsomely drawn letter 'D' on the front-top of the ball, and the lining was black. The scribbling on the package read: "Use on a dragon Pokémon, hopefully it works better on them. Prototype."

Xenos' jaw dropped, and he reached into the package revealing another ball that was identical to Malik's.

"Well I'm taking this one," he said, "No sense in you getting all the good stuff while I'm stuck with default toys, and besides, you owe me."

Malik glared at him, but then he just walked off. Xenos was childish, and Malik refused to stoop to his level. Between going to jail, and fighting waiters, Malik had already wasted enough time, and he was ready for the Pewter City Pokémon Gym.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Ch. 9: Rock & Roll**_

As Malik arrived at the gym's entrance, Xenos left him there, and had gone to one of the shops to kill time. Malik thought for a moment, taking in the gym's massive structure. He knew that Brock was the most famous of all of Pewter City's gym leaders, and that he used rock-type Pokémon to battle.

What he couldn't be sure of was the new gym leader, Jenny, which was Brock's daughter. Jenny was listed in Poke Daily, a local magazine, as the Rock Solid Gym Leader, and world-renowned for her skills with rock Pokémon. Malik wasn't sure what he was in for, but he entered the gym nonetheless.

It was dark at first, but then the lights clicked on loudly, and everything came into view. The crunching sounds under Malik's boots had been soft rocks, crumbling under his weight, and the dust and sand seemed to scatter all over the floor. There were boulders here and there, and a dark brown poke ball-shaped carving took up most of the floor's area. For awhile, nothing happened, but the silence was ended by the loud hum of an elevator on the far end of the gym.

"So, another rookie trainer come to challenge my gym, eh?"

It was a female's voice, and Malik knew it must have been Jenny. He could see her clearly now, ember colored hair, dark complected, and bright blue eyes. She was adorned in fingerless gloves, a peculiar hat, and a skirt. Her shirt had a light jacket over it, but it served no other purpose than to look stylish, something he was expecting. Aside from being a gym leader, she was also world-renowned for her fashion sense, and always believed in making an impression with her wardrobe.

"Yeah, looks about right," she called out, "You don't look like you've seen too many real battles. This might be over faster than I expected."

Malik snarled, and Eevee shot Jenny a glare as well. She finally made her way to the gym's floor and stepped forward. When she walked, it wasn't normal, and her stride held a sense of power and entitlement that made Malik feel challenged. He took a step forward, and then pointed at her.

"I'm here for that badge, now are you going to keep talking, or battle me?"

"Oh, a feisty one," she said dramatically, "Tell me something, do you at least have four Pokémon?"

Malik looked down at his belt, but he only had three. Where was he going to get a fourth, after all he had only been out for a few days. Would he have to go find a fourth before she would fight him, or would she let him try his luck regardless?

"Well kid," she said sounding disappointed, "Unless you've got four Pokémon, the League rules prevent me from battling you. Rules are rules, so come back when you're more experienced."

Malik clenched his fists, but even as his rage built, there was nothing he could do. Then he thought of something crazy; what if he borrowed one of Xenos' Pokemon? He wouldn't mind, and if anything, he'd be more than willing to help, after all it'd make things go by a lot faster.

"No, absolutely not," Xenos told Malik, "I'm not giving you my Pokémon, I just met you and I don't trust you that much yet."

"But if you don't let me borrow one, I'll have to go look for another one and that could take a while. I'm picky with Pokémon, you know. And it's just this time, I'll catch more so this doesn't happen again, I promise."

Xenos looked at him for a second, then shrugged.

"Alright, I guess you can borrow one, after all its just one gym battle right?"

Xenos handed him a poke ball, and Malik was so excited, he forgot to feel which Pokémon was inside. Malik ran back to the gym, just in time to catch a battle. Malik could tell it was almost over, being that the board showed Jenny with one loss, and the trainer with three losses. She was using a Steelix, and the trainer's Nidorino was on the run.

The battle was very intense, with Steelix crashing down left and right, and Nidorino dodging and trying to get in a good hit. Both Pokémon seemed highly skilled, but when Nidorino used its horn attack or poison sting, it ended up damaging itself more than the Steelix. Diving down again, the Steelix narrowly missed Nidorino, but unexpectedly, Steelix's tail came crashing into Nidorino, and it went down hard.

The last buzzer rang, and the trainer was defeated. Calling back his Pokémon, and running away in tears, the trainer shot Malik a disdainful look. Malik chuckled slightly, and shook his head. Jenny looked over at Malik, and cocked an eyebrow.

"Back so soon," She said with a sarcastic tone, "Did you buy a Pokémon on the internet or something?"

"No," Malik replied, laughing slightly, "Let's just say I have friends of friends."

Jenny smirked, and then gestured towards the battle field. Malik noticed her Steelix eyeing him menacingly, and flipped it off. Eevee was wagging its tail proudly, and trotted along with Malik.

"So, trainer, which Pokémon are you going to amuse my Steelix with this time? Hopefully, you're more of a challenge than that last trainer."

Malik ignored her, and reached for Houndoom's poke ball. He knew that normally, a fire-type Pokémon in a rock-type gym wouldn't stand a chance, but Steelix was a steel type, and so Malik knew Houndoom would have the edge. He threw the ball, and Houndoom came roaring out of the poke ball.

Jenny looked surprised that Malik had such a strong Pokémon, but accepted the challenge on command. Steelix began, once again slamming down, but Malik transferred memories of the battle he had just seen to Houndoom, and Houndoom maneuvered effortlessly. Dodging left and right, Houndoom was actually beginning to make the Steelix grow tired, until it finally slowed down.

The giant metal serpent began to twist and coil, almost as if it were cramping, and Houndoom cornered it, zeroing in on it with a fierce glare. Firmly placing its paws as the Steelix looked down in fear, Houndoom blasted a massive, star-shaped beam of fire, and hit Steelix's shining, metal body head on. It was too much heat, and the Steelix began turning red from heating up, and even glowed slightly.

Jenny quickly recalled Steelix, and as the machine buzzed, she couldn't help but feel ever so nervous. Even though Houndoom was strong, it shouldn't have been able to maneuver that easily, and she grew suspicious. She sent out another Pokeball, this time it exploded with a Golem. It was an all too familiar Pokémon to Malik, and his brain instantly gave him all the info he needed.

The huge, rock-type Pokémon was perfectly rounded, and heavy. An evolved form of Geodude, with dragon-like legs and arms. It was best known for its defense and rolling techniques, and it's power with rock-type moves was profound. Malik thought for a moment, then sent out Scyther after recalling Houndoom.

Scyther came hissing out, staring down the Golem as a challenge. Jenny called out for Golem to use rock throw, and Malik instantly tried to communicate with Scyther. He saw the energy streams once again, Golem's was a boxed in stream, rock solid, and then he saw Scyther's stream, fine and thin and green. The Golem rolled over to one of the boulders, and smashed it to pieces in one move.

Malik and Scyther's eyes grew wide with shock, but they remained focussed. Just as Golem began tossing rocks with blinding speed, Scyther was ordered to use double-team, and the multiple copies were making Golem dizzy. It missed completely, but just as Scyther got close enough to slash at Golem, Golem actually caught its scythes.

They were locked for a moment, but then Golem kicked off the ground hard, rolled upwards, and crashed down on Scyther. It tried to slam down multiple times, however Scyther dodged, and sliced at it from underneath. A dense scratch in the shape of an 'X' appeared on Golem's underside and stretched to its belly, but it wasn't enough to slow it down.

Jenny called out once more, and the Golem was now rolling left and right, trying to hit Scyther, who dodged every attempt. Malik thought for a moment, looking around the arena, and noticed two large, electric converters that powered the arena. Mentally, he showed Scyther an image of Golem rolling into them, and Scyther did the rest.

Dodging towards the converters seamlessly, Scyther managed to get Golem to make a beeline for him. Jumping up using its wings to gain height, the Golem went crashing into the pylons, and was electrocuted. With the size of the battery cells, Malik calculated that it was putting out easily fifteen thousand volts of pure electricity, and the Golem was stuck to the wall due to the friction.

Again the buzzer sounded, and Jenny was forced to call back Golem. She grew even more suspicious, but as she reached for her next Pokémon, she couldn't figure out how he was commanding his Pokémon without speaking. With a smile, she threw the next poke ball onto the field.

Malik watched in slight envy as a Larvitar was sent out. It was one of Malik's favorite Pokémon, the rock/ground type Pokémon, whose body was the hardest out of almost any Pokémon, and it's speed at digging and moving on land were highly praised. Next to those skills, it was notoriously powerful with all ground type moves, especially earthquake and magnitude, and also capable of using an ear-splitting screech.

Something was off, however, as Malik noticed it was panting slightly. This must have been the Pokémon she had used in the last battle, and it looked tired. Malik withdrew Scyther, and looked down at Eevee. Eevee cheered happily, and ran onto the battle field. Malik almost felt bad for fighting a weakened Pokémon, but rules were rules, just as Jenny had pointed out.

On its trainer's command, Larvitar burrowed under ground, and the gym began to shake. Eevee was moving around cautiously, but Larvitar caught it off guard. Eevee was hit hard, and went flying upwards. Before Eevee could strike, however, the Larvitar went back underground. Moving around cautiously, Eevee took another hit, then another, and then another. It was going nowhere, and Eevee was getting tired and starting to limp.

"Focus," Malik shouted towards Eevee, "It's making all that rumbling, I'm sure you can pinpoint it."

Eevee stopped moving, and just as Larvitar was about to resurface, everything in Eevee's world slowed down. The cracks under its paws trickled, tearing at the dirt like paper, and then Eevee saw the spike on its head. Side stepping, Eevee leapt up, and before it could burrow back underground, Eevee lunged down with all its strength.

Larvitar was hit hard, and went flying back. It was already tired from all the digging, but the hit had sealed its fate. Eevee approached it aggressively, and was bearing its fangs.

"Call it back," Malik shouted at Jenny, "Call Larvitar back, it shouldn't be battling in this condition!"

"No way, Larvitar isn't done yet. He can still fight, you're not getting me to surrender."

"If you don't call it back, it's not going to make it! Call Larvitar back now!"

Again, she refused, and Larvitar was looking at Eevee with fear. Malik had given her fair warning, but she refused to listen. Eevee was drawing closer, a dark look in its eyes as it approached, and Larvitar was looking from Jenny to Eevee in a tense panic.

Eevee lunged, seemingly out of nowhere, and bit Larvitar directly in the stomach. Even though its teeth had not yet punctured, the Larvitar was writhing in pain. It was struggling left and right, but Eevee did not let go. Eevee picked it up, and began shaking its head rapidly, and bit down even harder. The Larvitar fainted, but Jenny still wouldn't call back her Pokémon.

Malik looked at her, glaring, but she shook her head no. He then looked down at Eevee, and only two words escaped his lips: "End this."

Eevee slammed Larvitar down, hard, and fractured the hard outer shell. The Larvitar screamed in agonizing pain, but it was too late. Blood began to spill everywhere, and Eevee left it there. Jenny finally screamed in horror, and recalled the fractured Larvitar. The buzzers went off loudly, and Jenny was now crying heavily.

"You jerk, how could you, it's just a Pokémon."

"I told you to call back your Pokémon, this is what happens when you put yourself before your Pokemon's needs."

An intense rage filled her eyes, and seemed to outmatch her tears.

"You'll pay," she shouted, throwing out her last Pokeball.

Malik looked on incredulously, and watched as her Pokémon burst out in a spray of light. This time, it was a somewhat newer Pokémon, Lairon. Eevee went back to Malik's side, and as he sent Houndoom back out, he recalled his knowledge of the steel Pokémon.

It's body was encased in a thick, bone-like steel exoskeleton, while the rest of its skin was a thick, black leathery hide. It's defenses were near impervious, and its physical attacks were relentless. Malik had the advantage, however, and he would just heat it up the same way he did to her Steelix.

Lairon rushed forward, catching Malik and Houndoom both off guard, and sent Houndoom flying back. Jenny was still enraged, and was not holding back at all. Houndoom was struggling to get back up, but again Lairon slammed into it, this time snapping its leg.

Houndoom howled angrily, and as it dodged the next hit, gathered all it's energy. It shot out flames like Malik had never seen. They were a dark blue color, and seemed even stronger than the red flames he was used to. Lairon was engulfed completely, but it moved away before it got too hot.

One part of Lairon's back leg was still scalding hot, and it had been burned. Houndoom glared, still limping, and shot out more flames. Lairon dodged and slammed, again, into Houndoom's broken leg. Malik recalled Houndoom, realizing that it was in too much pain to fight. He knew Eevee still needed to rest, and Scyther wouldn't stand much of a chance against a Lairon. Then he remembered Xenos' Pokeball.

He proudly threw it out to the field, and excitedly awaited to see which Pokémon he was going to use. His expression of excitement, however, shifted quickly to tragic disappointment as a Magikarp revealed itself. Malik grew depressed instantly, and banged his forehead against the railing, meanwhile he could hear Jenny cackling in the background.

Lairon accepted the Magikarps challenge, however, and began to stomp on the ground making the entire gym quake. Magikarp, Malik knew, was a useless Pokémon, and it took a specific kind of trainer to evolve one. Malik, needless to say, was not that kind of trainer, and he just watched and waited for Magikarp to get knocked out so he could send out his next choice, Eevee.

Then something unexpected happened, and everyone was caught off guard. All the shaking and stomping had disrupted the water pipes of the gym, and the holes dug by Larvitar had made a pathway to the surface. At first, the water was soft, but then it got faster and more powerful. In no time at all, the gym's floor was submerged, and Magikarp stopped splashing around.

Lairon was struggling to wade its way through the water, and didn't notice Magikarp moving towards it at full speed. As Lairon continued to struggle, Malik looked up in time to see the attack. Magikarp angrily slammed into Lairon, and Lairon went flying back. Now completely upside down, with its head submerged in liquid, Lairon was kicking its legs uselessly.

The last buzzer sounded off, and Malik threw his hands up in the air in pure relieved excitement. His excitement was cut short, however, as Magikarp began glowing, just as Houndour had done in the forest. Malik knew it was about to evolve into a Gyarados, and now he was getting nervous. The small, round body shifted. It grew larger and longer, and the mouth gaped open, sprouting teeth. The head grew large spikes, and the tail grew thicker and more powerful.

In no time at all, a massive water dragon was sitting where Magikarp had once been, and was roaring majesticly. Jenny looked down at the water, then at the Gyarados in complete horror. Her Pokémon were defeated, with one fatally wounded, and now her gym was a wreck. Malik quickly recalled Gyarados, and put the ball back in his bag.

After a long argument with a more than angry Jenny, Malik walked away with his Boulder badge proudly. He began to make his way back to Xenos to give him his Pokémon back, and the roof of the gym caved in making the gym leader scream in pure rage. Malik and Xenos left the city, their work complete, and Malik was going to let Xenos' Gyarados be a surprise for a later time.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Ch. 10: Close Encounters**_

"So that's it? Magikarp just got lucky, and tackled Lairon?"

"Yeah," Malik replied in an annoyed voice, "Then I called him back."

They had talked so much that Route 3 had been a complete blur, and they were now at the bottom of Mt. Moon. Malik watched as Xenos pulled out a small-sized map, and traced a finger along all the possible routes.

"Looks like our only way through is through that mountain," he said decisively.

"Great, so are you up for some hiking?"

Xenos glared at him, and they approached the entrance. Before they even got close, Malik sensed something strange, and stopped moving. Looking over at him curiously, Xenos stopped as well. Malik seemed to be hearing something that neither Xenos, nor Eevee could comprehend.

Turning his head upwards, and slightly to the left, he looked for the source of the strange sound he heard. The other two seemed utterly confused, but Malik's senses had indeed proved useful, and he was looking at an Abra. The small, psychic Pokémon was in a deep sleep, and Malik felt a large grin spread across his face.

He waved to Xenos to keep as quiet as he could, and to stay put and not move. Eevee was watching Malik, and when it saw the Abra, it remained as quiet as possible. As Malik stepped closer and closer, Xenos finally looked up and saw the Abra as well. Quietly thinking to himself in despair, he hoped Malik knew what he was getting himself into.

Malik hadn't read much about Abras, or its many evolutions, but he knew that it was a strong, psychic type Pokémon, and he wanted to catch it. It would be especially easy since it was already asleep, and Malik moved even closer, reaching for a Great Ball he had picked up in town. The Pokémon remained where it was, dozing happily, and was perfectly content. Malik noticed its naturally armored body, fully capable of protecting it from normal attacks while it slept, but also noticed something else.

Unlike most Abras, this one's color was different, and instead of the usual brown, it was a slightly pinkish color. Another shiny, as Poke Daily had called them, or rather, a Pokémon whose color was abnormal. It was a mutation that made not only the color change, but their power as well. They were said to be stronger than the other members of their species, but also harder to find.

Just as Malik was finally within catching range, a snapping sound shot through the forest like the thunderous sound of a lightning bolt. He looked down in horror, and saw a broken twig, perfectly snapped in half. He cursed wildly, and when he saw the Abra open its eyes, he cursed again. Acting on instinct, the Abra began to teleport, and Malik felt Eevee jump from his shoulders after it.

Although he had tried to catch Eevee to stop him, the two of them were whisked away, along with the wild Abra. It was an incredible sensation, both the feeling of remaining perfectly still, and of moving incredibly fast. It was as if the world around them were non-existant, but as the sensation withered, they found themselves at the peak of Mt. Moon.

Xenos was still in shock down at the bottom, and was frantically searching for where Malik and Eevee had been transported to. Looking down from the peak, Malik could see for miles. He could see the clearing he had just come from, and he saw Xenos searching for him, eventually venturing into the woods nearby. He didn't have time for sight-seeing, however, and looked back over at the Abra.

The Abra was just staring at him, but Malik knew it was peering into his soul, reading his character. The strange part was that Malik could feel the energy Abra was using, and as it slowly gazed upon his forehead, his heart, and even near his stomach, the Abra's eyes grew ever wider. Tapping into his ability, the energy stream Abra put out was silky and blue, leaving behind a faint residue of psychic energy.

Malik could feel it's emotions, and smiled slightly. The Abra had teleported because it had been startled, but now it was actually challenging Malik, daring him to come closer. He was hesitant at first, but then he looked down at Eevee who was also ready. They both rushed at the Abra, but not even taking a third step, they were lifted into the air.

Abra's eyes were glowing bright blue with energy, and it simply looked to its left, and they went flying. Malik and Eevee got back up in a hurry, and Malik glared at the Abra who was just chuckling slightly. Malik snarled, and Eevee rushed forward. Once again, Abra lifted Eevee into the air, but this time it brought Eevee in close.

Eevee was ready this time, and unleashed a massive shadow ball on the Abra. Abra was hit hard, having been both caught off guard, and too arrogant. Malik's hunch had indeed been right, and the Abra went down. He had guessed that Abra's foresight ability wouldn't work due to using its telekinesis, which would naturally be clouding its senses.

Malik tossed the Great Ball as fast as he could, and Abra was helpless to stop it. Tilting left and right rapidly for a few moments, the ball finally settled, and Abra was captured. Malik let out a triumphant burst of excitement, and ran to pick up the ball. Unfortunately, just as he was about to grasp the ball, a familiar presence struck out in his way, and he was forced to back off.

"Ah, so we meet again," it was a woman's voice, and Malik recognized her immediately, "Tell me, when was it that you began enslaving your Pokémon? I was under the impression that you merely befriended them."

The Crimson Jewel was staring him down, and standing in the way of him and his newly captured Abra. He was seething with rage, not only due to the fact that she had single-handedly ruined his excitement, but also that she was accusing him of slavery. He clenched his fists angrily, and rushed forward.

The vigilante ducked down, avoiding his jab, and kicked him hard in the stomach. He stepped back, but then began a series of flourishes he had taught himself. The two of them went at it for some time, in a stylized fight using martial arts, and both of them were good fighters.

Finally managing a hit, Malik struck her jaw hard, and the mask almost came loose. He caught a glimpse of her lips, and was attacked by yet another flashback. It was that same alley again, and he was chasing after Giovanni, who had run for some time now. Malik, who had done his best to keep up, finally lost him.

He stopped looking for the man, and returned to his father, who had already passed on. Not noticing him, a figure had lunged down from the rooftops, and was scanning the area for evidence. Startled and confused, Malik waited around the corner, and watched closely.

She had found a few items on the ground that didn't belong to his father, and stashed them in a small pouch. He immediately ran over, and that's when she had noticed him. Malik felt himself get kicked hard in the eye, and that's when he returned to the fight.

He went down hard, and Eevee lunged at her violently as she prepared to kick again. Getting up, and wiping the snow from his face, Malik rushed forward and grabbed the ball containing Abra. Eevee was now completely attatched to her shoulder, gnawing at the pauldron aggressively, and it began to break.

Struggling at first, she reached for a dagger on her hip, but Malik rushed forward. He kicked the dagger from her hand, then kneed her stomach hard, and decked her in the face. Her mask flew off as she wheeled to the right rapidly, and she went down.

As she began to get up, another flashback attacked Malik. He was kneeling now, and felt a warm, thick liquid trickling down his face. The woman had kicked him harder than he thought, and he was trying to focus. The ringing in his head wouldn't stop, and she walked over to him, boasting a dramatically sad look.

"Are you okay, little boy? Are you lost?"

It seemed an odd question, and reaction, to have especially with how violently she had just kicked him. The police sirens had drawn in, and they were just outside the alley now. Throwing down a smoke pellet, the woman vanished, and she was gone. Malik hadn't recognized her now, what with the mask and costume, but now that he saw her face, he was certain. He felt an insane rage surge through him, like a tidal wave of emotion, and he picked her up hard by the neck.

"WHERE IS GIOVANNI? WHERE IS HE HIDING?"

His voice was much deeper than he had realized, and much more threatening than he thought possible. She spit up some blood, and just chuckled.

"Silly child," she said in a demeaning tone, "Giovanni died a long time ago. His son carries out his bidding now."

Malik was taken back by the news of Giovanni's death, and without realizing it, he let her go. Seizing the opportunity, she swept his legs out from under him, and stomped on his back hard.

"I'm going to let you go this time, but next time," she paused briefly, as if thinking to herself, "Well, lets just say next time you wont be the only one with a Pokémon to help you."

As Malik's vision began to fade, she disappeared, and not even Eevee could tell where she had gone. A blizzard whipped up, and Eevee tried to nudge Malik to get up, but he couldn't. Feeling the temperature dramatically drop, Eevee quickly went inside its Pokeball, and escaped the chilling winds. Malik felt his body beginning to give in to the coldness, and as the chilling winds blistered him more and more, he passed out.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Ch.11: Awaken**_

The blizzard had hit hard, leaving little time for Xenos to find shelter. Although it had taken him awhile to reach the top of Mt. Moon, he had still managed to make it just in time. Malik had been out cold all day and for most of the night as well. Luckily, Malik's Houndoom wasn't too stubborn to light them a fire to keep warm, and his Growlithe made good company for the Houndoom. Eevee, however, had refused to leave Malik's side, nor would it eat or sleep.

Malik had stirred uncomfortably in his sleep, and finally awoke. The blizzard was still howling viciously, and cold wind stung Malik's eyes. Eevee, who had almost passed out completely, was re-energized with happiness as Malik sat up. Eevee lunged at his chest, and began to nuzzle him happily, but Malik's head was still throbbing. He scratched the top of his head, and felt the bandages covering half of his face.

Dry blood had seeped its way through the cloth, and he now knew why he couldn't see out of his unscarred eye. He looked over to see Xenos, Growlithe, and Houndoom snoozing heavily, and decided not to wake them. He noticed the fire, and was thankful for its warmth. The cave was barely lit, but it was warmer than the blistering cold outside the cave's mouth.

Reaching for his bag, Malik's heart sank as he saw his right hand. It was solid black, and there was no feeling in it whatsoever. The frostbite had spread from his elbow to his finger tips, and he feared that he would have to amputate his arm. He grabbed his bag forcefully, feeling outraged that he had been so careless, and accidentally elbowed the cave wall hard. A large crack stretched around his forearm, and the cave was flooded with an intense light.

At first, the light had been blinding, and he was forced to shield his eyes, but then he noticed something peculiar. His arm began cracking more and more, and he actually felt the energy. Eevee had been watching curiously, and walked over to sniff his arm. The black skin was flaking off in chunks, and it reminded him of coal.

Xenos was stirring, and mumbled something like "Turn out the lights, I'm tryin' to sleep here," but Malik was too astonished by his glowing arm to notice anything else. As Eevee drew closer, the arm glowed even brighter, and Eevee's fur began to glow as well.

His arm reacted on impulse, and grabbed Eevee's head. Although it was frightened at first, Eevee relaxed in his hand, and began to glow even brighter than his arm. Malik was in complete shock, and couldn't help but watch as Eevee began to change. The light began pouring from his arm, and flowed into Eevee's glowing body. Malik's eyes had began to glow as well, and the bandages swirled off his head seamlessly.

The energy was so intense, that now all of the black from the frostbite was gone, and his arm seemed to be constructed of pure energy. It was like the swirling energy that a full moon had given off on a clear night, but it was so much stronger than that energy Malik had seen before. His eyes once again turned white, and light was now pouring out of the cave, defying the thickness of the storm outside.

Malik's arm jolted backwards with a sudden burst of intense energy, but Eevee was still glowing and changing. Malik watched as the fluffy form of Eevee changed, and was replaced by a slick, dark coat of black. It had kept its beautiful, bright blue eyes, and it had blue rings on its four legs to match, along with its forehead. It had just evolved into an Umbreon, but how?

Umbreon was looking at Malik proudly, and roared mightily. As it did so, its rings glowed brightly, and his arm seemed to return to normal. Malik was still in shock, with his mouth gaping open. He couldn't believe his eyes, nor could he believe what had just happened. Houndoom had woken up, and walked over to Umbreon curiously.

The two of them greeted each other by smelling, and although it took a few moments, Houndoom happily spoke to Umbreon in its own language. Umbreon twitched its tail playfully, and tackled Houndoom. Malik sat back smiling, but the recent evolution had intrigued him. He knew that, normally, the only way Eevee evolved into Umbreon was at night, but this had happened almost in the morning, and the evolution seemed to have been spawned by his arm.

The storm outside had finally passed, and Malik was having a silent staring contest with Umbreon, who was looking at him confused. He finally snapped out of it, but just as he was getting ready to put out the fire and get ready for the day ahead, a familiar figure stepped into the cave.

"Well well," smirked the Crimson Jewel, "If it isn't the blunder twins. I thought I smelled something new in here, didn't know it would be you two."

Umbreon stepped forward, baring its fangs and making its markings glow brightly. She looked at Umbreon, then back at Malik grinning.

"Oh how cute, your little Pokémon finally evolved. It won't do you any good, however, I'm not here to battle Pokémon. No, I'm much more interested in why your arm was lighting the entire radius of a mile?"

She pointed an armored hand towards his arm, and Malik saw the slick metal of her steel gauntlet shimmer in the morning light. Malik saw that her mask had been glued back together, but she was unable to fix the large crack that spread down the eyes diagonally. Malik remained silent, but Umbreon began growling at her, and its energy was humming quietly.

Houndoom had gotten up as well, but as he was behind her, she hadn't noticed. She tried to step forward, but Umbreon growled threateningly. She looked down at the Umbreon with a scowl in her eyes, and kicked Umbreon hard. Umbreon flew into the cave wall, and landed with a thud. Houndoom roared, and jumped at her, latching onto her shoulder. The pauldron was still cracked from when Eevee had almost broken it, and Houndoom's fire fang attack had done the rest.

Its sharp teeth were embedded deep into her shoulder and flaming violently, but as soon as she managed to get Houndoom off her shoulder, Umbreon slammed into her ribs hard. She fell backwards and landed on Xenos' lap, and then he finally woke up. He was blushing and looking at her with a glazed look. She elbowed him in the face hard, and ran out of the cave swiftly.

Umbreon and Houndoom almost chased after her, but Malik made them stop. He did not want to risk her taking them away, and he needed their help to get up. Xenos got up moaning, and was holding his nose, which was bleeding heavily.

"Who the hell was that, Malik, an ex-girlfriend or something?"

Malik shook his head and tossed Xenos a cloth to wipe his face off with. Malik was getting tired of running into her at the worst times imaginable, but with the storm finally past, he could set out to get off this mountain. As they were about to leave, Xenos spoke again.

"Wait, hold on a second," he said while looking down at Umbreon, "I can't help but feel I missed something, but when exactly did your Eevee evolve?"

Malik sighed, and Xenos finally agreed to just go and not ask so many questions. Malik was staring down at his arm, still replaying the scene in his mind. How had he gotten Eevee to evolve without even knowing what was going on? This must have been the power that his father had discovered. So far, Malik could communicate with his Pokémon telepathically, and now apparently he could induce evolution when the time was right.

As they continued down the mountain, Malik began to hear whispering in his mind, and slowed down. It was a voice, but it was inside his head. He couldn't make out the words, and then it faded. The whispers had slowly gotten louder and quieter spontaneously, and then just faded in an instant. He shook his head and kept walking.

As they finally got to the bottom of Mt. Moon, and made their way casually along Route 4, they were ambushed by two dark figures. Malik instantly recognized them as the two thugs he constantly found himself harassed by.

"Look who it is, Jeice," said the female, "That twerp that viciously demolished our machine."

"Yes, I see;" said Jeice, "So, Jade, should we return the favor?"

They both were looking at Malik, and both had dark grins on their faces. Xenos stepped forward smiling, and tossed a pokeball in his hand up and down.

"Looks like you two just didn't learn your lesson last time," Xenos said, "How about this time we teach you a lesson in humiliation?"

Malik and Xenos both sent out their Pokémon, with Umbreon and Eevee entering the battle field. Jeice and Jade both sent out their Pokémon, and Sandslash and Purrloin were staring them down. Xenos' Eevee rushed in first, and Sandslash met it in battle. However, Purrloin and Umbreon were staring each other down, both gathering their energy.

The only one who seemed to notice was Malik, because Jade was shouting angrily at her Purrloin to attack Umbreon, but it remained where it was. Malik could feel their energy, and it was so intense that he actually had a hard time differing which was which. Umbreon's dark energy was much more violent and powerful, however, whereas Purrloin's energy was mildly powerful, but just as violent.

Meanwhile, Sandslash and Eevee were going at it, with Sandslash gaining the advantage over Eevee. It seemed that Xenos' Eevee wasn't as strong as Malik's had been, and Sandslash was toying with it. It would dodge, and only rarely scratch it or slash with its claws. Xenos and Eevee both seemed to be growing agitated, but then something happened.

The Eevee began glowing brightly, and both Malik and Xenos knew it was finally evolving. Its bushy tail grew thin, and split into a fork shape. Its fluffy coat had gone sleek, and it was turning pink. It grew taller, and a wave of psychic energy projected wildly from it. Umbreon looked over to see Espeon sitting where the Eevee had began its evolution, and cheered happily.

Purrloin took advantage of the moment, and bit down on Umbreon's back hard. With a mighty roar, Umbreon began to glow brightly. Its dark energy began to project outwards, and it reminded Malik of a fine silk stream, and it grew larger every second. Suddenly, Purrloin let go, and was stepping back and hissing wildly. Malik had noticed a foul odor streaming from Umbreon's coat, then Xenos looked over at Malik's confused expression and piped up:

"It's one of Umbreon's special abilities. When they're agitated, they can secrete a venomous sweat to fend off their enemies."

Malik looked over at the Purrloin, who was now attempting to spit the toxin out, but it was useless. In a matter of seconds, the Purrloin was down. Jade called it back, and then glared at Jeice. Malik's Umbreon, and Xenos' Espeon were now cornering the foe's Sandslash, and it was getting nervous. Espeon lifted it up with psychic power, and Umbreon began gathering its dark energy into a ball.

With Jeice begging frantically for them to stop, Umbreon fired the shadow ball hard, and it crashed into all three of them. The two thugs went flying backwards, and ran off in a panic, threatening to get revenge yet again. Taking in the moment, Malik and the others sat down right there to eat.

Umbreon and Espeon were sitting near each other, and seemed to be talking among themselves in their own language. Xenos didn't seem too fond of this, however, and tried to return Espeon. Espeon refused to return, and kept talking to Umbreon, who glared at Xenos. Malik had finished cooking, and they began to eat the delicious steaks he had cooked with Houndoom.

Malik couldn't help but feel somewhat excited, after all, they were about to make their way to Cerulean City. Malik had remembered that girl that helped him beat the thugs the first time, and he realized that the steaks weren't the only thing making him drool. It seemed that the time of year for romance was upon them, and Malik planned on finding that mysterious girl, and taking her for his own.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Ch. 12: Cerulean Crush**_

Malik and Xenos had finally arrived in Cerulean City, and it was moderately smaller than the previous cities they had been to. The entire city was surrounded by water, and as such, it seemed that water Pokémon were the main attraction here. The first thing Malik was interested in, however, was the gym. As soon as he had done that, he would search for that mysterious girl.

They entered the gym, but it was completely different from what Malik remembered in the Poke Daily. Everything about this place, it seemed, had gone through a dramatic change. There was techno playing loudly, and flashing lights everywhere. It had been turned into a complete raving scene, and music was at the core of everything.

They were taken back at first, but then walked into the gym casually. Malik looked all around, and the gym had gone from a water oasis to a musical paradise in the blink of an eye. He had read that ownership of the gym had been sold to a woman in her mid-thirties with a young daughter, but the gym had gotten so many bad reviews that the woman was forced to give the rights to the gym to another person.

Though no one knew who the person was, it was now obvious that they had their own plans for the gym, and it seemed to be working. People were dancing everywhere, flashing glowing bracelets and other things Malik didn't even recognize. He made it to the center of the gym, and Xenos got lost in the crowd, most likely dancing.

The lights came on, the music stopped, and Malik was at the center of everyone's sight. He was literally in the spotlight, and he felt more uncomfortable than he ever had before.

"Ladies and gentlemen," a male's voice blared over the intercom, "Cerulean Gym is proud to present the one, the only, Athaliah! Cerulean City's Raving Water Master!"

The crowd roared with excitement that seemed to dwarf the music that had recently been cut off. Malik looked all around, but couldn't see anything. Suddenly, the center of the gym's floor began to rumble, and then it started moving. Malik and Umbreon jumped back just in time to see two panels of the floor reveal the water hidden underneath the gym's floor.

The pool was massive, and it must have been at least thirty to forty feet deep. Malik still couldn't see the gym leader, but then he saw something else that made his heart sink. A Gyarados was plowing its way through the water, and it burst out with a mighty roar. The music kicked back on, this time it had a more challenging sound. The crowd cheered even louder, and then Malik saw her.

The girl who had helped him defeat those thugs back at the Viridian Gates was riding the Gyarados, and that's when Malik realized that she was the gym leader. He stepped back, and almost considered running. Fighting a girl wasn't his idea of a great first impression, but it was too late.

A woman with a microphone ran over to him, and the pudgy camera man was doing his best to keep up with her. In his confusion, Malik froze and found himself trapped. He had no way out of this situation, and now they were speaking.

"Hi, Tracy Strauss here from Channel 12 News, where I am standing in Cerulean Gym's center stage. A new challenger, that's right, a new challenger has made his way to the center stage!"

She wheeled around and dragged Malik in front of the camera, and he was caught off guard.

"So, trainer, would you start by telling us your name?"

Malik froze, and he found that he hated being in front of a camera more than he realized. He didn't know what to do, but just as he was about to run away, Athaliah's voice blared over the intercom.

"Would the challenger please make his way to the center stage, and then we can get this battle under way!"

The crowd was going wild, and Malik found he couldn't even hear himself think. The news crew was staying on the sidelines to watch the battle and report on its details.

"Wow folks," said Tracy into the camera, "This trainer definitely has some fire in his eyes, and I can't wait to see what Pokémon he's going to use against Athaliah's team of powerful water Pokémon. One thing is for sure, this is going to be one great battle!"

"The rules are simple," Athaliah stated over the microphone head-piece that Malik now saw, "Each trainer will use four Pokémon, no switching out is allowed, and only the winner will be left standing!"

The crowd cheered even louder, and Malik noticed one of the audience members collapse from what looked like a heart attack. His eyes went wide, and he was unsure of just how strong this gym battle would be. Could he even win? No, he can't afford to think like that, and he'll take her down one way or the other.

"Obviously, my first Pokémon will be Gyarados! Go!"

Looking down at Umbreon, Malik was sure that it could win. Umbreon nodded, and proudly stepped onto the platform floating in the water. The Gyarados roared majestically, and Umbreon roared back. It seemed that everyone other than Malik was roaring now, but he just remained focussed.

The Gyarados wasted no time, and crashed down at the platform with a mighty splash. Umbreon managed to dodge, and began glowing brightly. In the gym's dim light, Umbreon seemed to be a beacon lighting the entire arena. Gyarados came spiraling back up, but Umbreon knocked it sideways with a powerful shadow ball. The Gyarados roared angrily, and its tail crashed into Umbreon hard, knocking it to the ground.

Umbreon was struggling to get up, and the Gyarados began charging its hyper beam attack. Malik was speaking to Umbreon telepathically:

"You don't have to do this, it's okay if you want to back down."

No. That was the answer he had received, not in words, but in emotion. Umbreon wasn't going to back down, and Malik realized that it had grown even more stubborn than it had acted as an Eevee. Malik looked over, clenching his fists, and saw Umbreon gathering all of its power into a massive ball of energy.

It was glowing even brighter now, but it seemed the Gyarados was matching its power in the hyper beam. The dim lights of the gym flashed, and the crowd was on the edge of their seats, quietly awaiting the moment of climax.

"Wow folks," the reporter yelled over the loud noise of Umbreon and Gyarados' crackling energy, "We haven't seen this much action since the last challenger was defeated over two years ago. Things here could get dangerous, but one thing's for sure: Neither one of these Pokémon are backing down, and it looks like they're ready to go all out to prove who's the strongest."

The gym's silence was shattered, and the two Pokémon blasted their energy. It crackled through the air with explosive force, and the entire gym shook from the sheer power the two Pokémon put out. Umbreon's power had grown rapidly since Malik had last used it to battle, and he guessed it was from the strange way it had evolved.

The hyper beam and the shadow ball clashed, both seemingly even in power, but then something happened. Gyarados reared back seemingly in pain, and the shadow ball hit it full force. The energy exploded much like an electro-magnetic pulse of dark energy, and the Gyarados began thrashing wildly. Its tail busted out of the water, and it looked badly poisoned.

The fin was completely red from inflammation, and Malik realized that was where it had crashed into Umbreon as it glowed earlier. Malik just smirked, and commanded Umbreon to finish the battle. Umbreon glowed brightly once again, and rushed at the Gyarados while expelling its dark power. Dashing left and right in a blinding series of slashes, dark cuts made their way across Gyarados' torso and face, as well as its sides.

With a mighty roar, Gyarados came crashing down, slashing loudly in the water. At first the crowd was silent, but then the entire gym erupted with a roaring cheer. "Umbreon! Umbreon! Umbreon!" They were chanting loudly, cheering on Malik's first Pokémon, which returned to his side. Malik sprayed some hyper potion on it, and Athaliah's voice echoed over the intercom:

"Lets hear it for our newest challenger, Malik!"

Malik blushed, and now he was certain that this was the same girl as before. The crowd exploded with excitement, and she cast out her next Pokémon. Her Seadra was larger than any Malik had ever seen before, and its barbs looked even more venemous as well. Malik reached for his poke ball, and sent out his next choice.

Abra came bursting out, but it was snoozing. Malik slapped his forehead in aggravation, and tried to connect to it psychically, but it was useless. Abra was blocking its mental flow, and Malik knew it could not be awoken. The Seadra darted through the water like a mini race horse, and Abra seemed completely unaware of its surroundings.

Just as it crashed into Abra, it was stopped dead in its tracks. At first, nothing happened, but then Abra opened its eyes. Malik felt the psychic link actually connect with Abra, and Abra was actually asking him how he wanted it to attack Seadra. Malik grinned, and on command, Abra tossed the Seadra back with intense psychic power.

Even though it had taken extensive damage, the Seadra wasn't about to back down. It fired a powerful blast of water at Abra, and it nearly hit. Abra's eyes opened again, and this time it wasn't asking permission. Abra's rage was intense, even though Malik was the only one who could feel it, and it redirected the water blast back at Seadra.

Seadra was hit hard, but Abra wasn't done. Its eyes glowed a bright blue color, and the energy was now visible to everyone in the gym. As its body began to glow, it pointed one hand forward, and began tossing Seadra around with its mind. Left of the water tank, and to the right as well, Seadra was being brutally smashed by psychic power. Finally, just as Seadra fainted, Abra slammed it down into the water, and went back to sleep.

"What a blow," yelled the reporter, "I've never seen anything like this folks! One by one, Malik's Pokémon brings Athaliah's winning record ever closer to a screeching halt! His Abra actually attacked, can you believe it? I sure can't!"

The crowd was roaring and chanting once again, this time saying Abra's name. Malik called it back with a proud grin, and watched as Athaliah angrily sent out her next Pokémon. Malik instantly recognized her Marshtomp, and he grinned. He sent out Scyther, who came out with a mighty roar.

Both Pokémon wasted no time in rushing towards each other, and Scyther began to slash. The floating platforms didn't seem to be a problem for Scyther, and it dashed swiftly, forcing Marshtomp to go into the water. Marshtomp dived back up, and hit Scyther hard. Scyther grew angrier, and began slicing, but Marshtomp was well-trained.

As Scyther's blades swung rapidly, Marshtomp simply knocked them back with sprays of water. Finally growing completely enraged, Scyther lunged forward, and Marshtomp sealed its fate. Blasting the surface of the water with an explosive jolt, a tidal wave was summoned. Scyther tried its best, but couldn't avoid the wave as it came crashing down hard.

Malik was forced to return Scyther, and was deciding which Pokémon to call out next. The crowd was cheering, with only a few booing at Scyther's defeat,, and the reporter was blabbing away as well. Malik didn't have four Pokémon, but he couldn't let them know that, otherwise he would be disqualified. He looked down at Umbreon, then knelt.

"So listen, I need you to take out her last two Pokémon for me. I can't send Houndoom into the water, that would be suicide. You think you can handle it for me?"

Umbreon happily cheered, and trotted onto the battle field proudly. Marshtomp and Umbreon were staring each other down, both remembered each other from their earlier battle together. They tensed up and prepared to fight. Athaliah's voice blared over the intercom once again:

"This battle is definitely going to be great, but how about some music for the fans?"

With that, the crowd roared as metal styled rock and roll filled the gym. It seemed to pump the Pokémon up even more, and they rushed into battle. Umbreon was dashing left and right, and was much too quick for Marshtomp to keep up with. Hit after hit, Umbreon relentlessly slammed into the water Pokémon, and eventually knocked it into the water.

Marshtomp grew enraged, and it began to glow brightly. Umbreon got closer to Malik, and they both watch as Marshtomp began to evolve into Swampert. The one fin on the top of its head split into two, and its size increased dramatically. Its small, fragile arms gained muscle, and grew larger as well. The two rear fins merged, and formed one large one that stretched from its belly to its tail bone.

The prongs on its cheeks grew more, and it was finally fully evolved. The crowd roared, and the reporter began excitedly yelling into the camera. Malik stood there, unimpressed. Even though he knew full well that Swampert had the undisputed advantage in this situation, no one was taking Umbreon's power into account.

Umbreon's evolution had been mystical at the least, and as such, its power was equally mystical. There was no telling just how much stronger this Pokémon could get now, and Malik was eager to continue the battle. Swampert was glaring at Umbreon menacingly, who merely returned a half cocked look of boredom.

Umbreon rushed back onto the platforms, but this time it was Swampert who was giving chase. Every time Umbreon landed, Swampert was there to attack. Malik thought back to his studies, and what he had learned. Swampert were one of the fastest water Pokémon around, and they were so sensitive to vibrations that their strikes were almost preëmptive. Its arms were another factor, with its strength not only useful in the water, but good for physical attacks as well.

Suddenly, Umbreon stopped moving. It began glowing again, but this time it wasn't using its poison ability. Instead, it seemed to be gathering dark energy. It began taking one huge hit after another, each one dealing massive damage, and Malik thought for sure it had given up. However, its power continued o rise, as opposed to declining, and Malik knew it was getting ready to use payback.

Swampert's arms crashed down hard on Umbreon, and then it opened its eyes. Umbreon roared, then unleashed a massive wave of dark energy. It had taken the damage from every single hit, and redirected it right back into Swampert, who was now reeling back in agonizing pain. Umbreon wasted no time, and in a matter of a millisecond, was slamming into Swampert hard.

Swampert tried to regain its balance as it skipped across the water's surface, but the force was too great, and it crashed into the far wall of the gym. Athaliah returned her newly evolved Pokémon, and sent out her fourth, and last Pokémon. A Starmie burst out, and Malik immediately noticed its color difference with regular Starmies. It was a cyan color, and it was slightly larger than regular Starmies.

Malik knew he had the edge now, after all he knew that Starmies were half psychic type, and Umbreon's dark element would give it the edge it needed to win this battle decisively. Umbreon stepped out along with Starmie, and the battle was on.

Both Pokémon clashed mightily, with both dodging and attacking. Malik noticed that Umbreon was actually toying with the Starmie for its own amusement, and he face-palmed. For no clear reason, he looked over to the right, and saw a small, yellow Pokémon making its way over to the electrical plugs near the entrance.

The two prongs on its head were livid with electric energy, and it had a hungry look on its face. It wasn't until it grabbed the large wires that Malik's eyes went wide with panic. He tried to run over to stop the Elekid, but it was too late. The Pokémon bit down, and absorbed all the electricity, and then the power in the entire gym went out.

Malik commanded Umbreon to return and help him, and Umbreon reluctantly ran over. With everyone confused, and the only visible things being Umbreon and Elekid, it was up to Malik to deal with the situation. Umbreon snarled at the Elekid aggressively, but the Elekid didn't back down.

Umbreon lunged forward, gathering its dark energy, but the Elekid turned to face it. With a mighty punch infused with electricity, Elekid sent Umbreon flying back. Umbreon landed hard, and Malik knew it was getting tired, especially after battling as hard as it had been recently. Malik returned Umbreon, and sent out Houndoom, who proudly roared when it came out.

Elekid growled and rushed at Houndoom, but Houndoom just stood there for a moment. Just as the wild Elekid performed yet another thunder punch, Houndoom bit down hard on its rounded arm. At first, the Elekid tried to electrocute Houndoom, but it was useless, and then the Elekid started to cry in pain.

Malik had never heard of a Pokémon crying, and was hesitant to continue battling it at first, but then something happened. The other arm came swinging at Houndoom, charged with even more electricity than the first arm. Houndoom took the hit full force, but this time the damage was dealt. Houndoom went flying backwards in pain, but it got back up quickly.

Snarling with a fiery rage, Houndoom began to glow a dark red color. Its eyes glowed red, and it shot out a black flame at the wild Pokémon. Elekid was trying its best to dodge, but all of Houndoom's training with Eevee had increased its aim incredibly. It managed to hit the Elekid, and it went down hard. Malik reached for his empty poke ball, and threw it at the Elekid.

It didn't take long for the wild Pokémon to succumb to the pokeball, and Malik added a new Pokémon to his team. The emergency generators finally powered on, and everyone was confused. Malik had made his way back to the battlefield just in time, and Umbreon was ready to battle Starmie once again. This time, Umbreon was pumped, and even the crowd seemed to have sensed its intense energy.

Wasting no time, Starmie rushed forward in a rapid spin, but instead of getting hit, Umbreon caught it in its jaws and was biting down hard. The crowd roared with excitement, but the same could not be said for Athaliah, whose face flooded with fear. Umbreon bit down even harder as the Starmie began to struggle, and shattered the gem on its core. Tossing it aside like a bad treat, Umbreon returned to Malik's side, only after it proudly trotted across all four of the floating platforms.

Reluctantly, Athaliah recalled her last Pokémon, and her platform moved down towards the ground level of the gym. She walked over to Malik with a look of both astonishment, and disappointment.

"Congratulations, Trainer Malik," she shouted through the intercom as she handed him the badge, "For defeating all four of my powerful, water type Pokémon, I present you with the Cascade Badge!"

The audience roared with excitement, and Malik took the badge proudly. Umbreon cheered happily, and nuzzled Malik's right leg proudly. Athaliah covered the microphone so that only Malik could hear her, then leaned in to whisper:

"Don't think I've forgotten that you still owe me lunch!"

And then she walked away, waving at the crowd as she did so, and Malik was standing there dumbfounded. Before he could attempt to leave, however, the camera crew was in his face once again.

"Oh, Malik," the reporter gushed, "I have no doubt that you're proud of your Pokémon, especially Umbreon here! Tell me, do you feed them any kind of special foods, or give them specific training? We're all dying to know what your amazing secret is!"

"Out of my way, woman!"

Xenos had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and grabbed Malik by the arm, and began to drag him away. Malik jerked his arm back, and shook his head in rejection. Walking back over to the camera, even though he didn't really want to, he spoke.

"I'm Malik from Palet Town, and no I don't give any special food or training to my Pokémon, because there's no such thing. My Pokémon are strong because I am strong, and I'm out to prove that not all trainers are bad, and that the best trainers come from Palet Town!"

"And there you have it, folks," the reporter concluded, "With an astonishing four-to-one knock out streak, Malik from Palet Town has vanquished the Cerulean Gym with tremendous skill and ability. What will he do next, and where will he go? These answers and more to be continued. This is Tracy Strauss signing off!"

Malik and Xenos left the gym, with Xenos confused about why Malik never spoke to him, yet he would speak to the entire world via camera. As they walked, Malik sensed someone running up behind them, and swiftly turned, stopping his hand just short of the person's trachea.

It was Athaliah, and she had apparently been following them for some time around the town. She assured them she meant no harm, but Malik had already lowered his arm from her.

"that was a great battle, I mean I'm strong, but you-well you're just great! I hope you don't mind, but I told my mother you'd be joining us for dinner, so she's already making extra food. Well, what do ya say? Will you join us?"

"That's great," Xenos piped up, "I'm starving, I could go for a nice, home-cooked meal right about now."

"Oh," she replied, "I'm sorry, but I didn't know you two were travelling together. There's not enough food for you."

Xenos' mouth opened in disbelief, and as Malik continued walking away with the gym leader, Xenos was screaming in the background. Malik just ignored him, and gladly walked with her. He couldn't believe his luck, not only had he acquired yet another Pokémon and a gym badge, but he was about to spark a relationship with the girl of his dreams, or so he thought.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Ch. 13: Love & War**_

Although Xenos had felt slightly betrayed by Malik for ditching him, he completely understood. He wasn't about to try to compete with romance, and seeing as he had already learned that lesson the hard way, he opted just to wait it out. After all he knew Malik wouldn't waste too much time, if at all.

Meanwhile, a dark figure sits in his living room, with the T.V. reporting the recent victory at the Cerulean Gym. Sipping down a strong drink, his voice seems to cut down the air around him, and even his powerful Pokémon are intimidated by the sound that issues from his lips.

"So, the good doctor's children are finally revealing themselves. What a welcome surprise."

His laugh was sinister, and the darkness around him seemed to shudder. Giovanni Jr. had been closely watching the trainer he recognized from Viridian City, anxious to see his progress. However, he had not anticipated the way the trainer would battle, and didn't know how he had missed it the first time, but he was certain now. This was the boy in the vision his father had left, this was the doctor's son!

Malik and Athaliah had made it to her mother's house in a matter of minutes, with Umbreon reluctantly tagging along. Athaliah had been talking the entire time, but Malik had paid no attention, and he merely admired the way her lips moved when she talked. He had never felt anything like this towards anyone before, and he often found himself just agreeing with whatever she said.

Her mother, although at first she seemed quiet and collected, was loudly talking at him instead of to him. He didn't mind though, and yet again found himself staring at Athaliah. They didn't seem to understand why he was so quiet, but occasionally he answered their questions truthfully. It wasn't until later that night that he actually had fun, however.

Though he had already learned so much about Athaliah already, he still wanted to know more. Her mother had been the original first buyer of the gym, but her limited skill and knowledge made a Cascade Badge too easy to get, and she was forced to resign as gym leader by the Pokémon League. Taking her place was her prodigal daughter, Athaliah, who was only thirteen then. She had taken the gym by storm, and the public found a new hope with her running things.

Athaliah had always had a knack for water type Pokémon, and had been seemingly born with natural training skills. When she was just sixteen, her Magikarp evolved, and it took her only a week to tame her newly acquired Gyarados. Her other Pokémon were already evolved by that time, however, which made it easier for Gyarados to respect her.

She had run the gym for the past six years, and only those who proved themselves tough enough were awarded the Cascade Badge now. Her mother continuously bragged about how so many trainers had the utmost difficulty getting past her Gyarados, that many either lost flat-out or quit the match. He truly was the first to acquire a badge in two whole years.

Malik went to a nearby restaurant where he found Xenos stuffing his face. Once he noticed Malik walking over, he wiped his mouth off and offered him a seat.

"So how was your date?" He asked in a sarcastic tone.

"It was alright, though her mom's bragging got annoying."

Xenos' eyes had gone wide with surprise that Malik had actually responded to him. He jumped out of his chair triumphantly, and began jeering at Malik, who just rolled his eyes.

"I finally got you to talk! I knew I could do it, after all I am hard to ignore aren't I?"

"Yeah especially dancing on the table like an idiot! Get down before someone sees-"

Malik felt something nearby, and it was as if an alarm were going off in his mind. He bolted around, and caught an arrow out of thin air, which almost hit his face. He looked around, but there was no one in sight. Xenos was looking down at the arrow with a confused look, and a second pierced his right shoulder.

Malik tackled him off the table, and just as more and more arrows fired past them, they began running. Xenos was screaming, both confused and angry, and trying to rip the arrow out of his shoulder.

"Get it out! It burns!"

"Keep moving if you don't want more arrows in you!"

They had run into an alley way, and Malik saw a dark figure standing before him. His flashbacks were kicking in again, but this figure was different, and even shorter than what he remembered. Giovanni Jr. stepped out of the shadows, grinning slightly, and spoke:

"Malik, so good to meet you again. It's funny that we ran into each other like this, is it not? After all, I find something so vaguely familiar about our...situation."

He looked over and saw Xenos, who was looking at him horrified, and Malik was growing wary of this.

"Xenos, well done brother, I should thank you for keeping an eye on him for me."

Malik grabbed Xenos by the front of his jacket, and pinned him to the wall, glaring into his eyes. What he sensed inside Xenos, however, was a confusion that rivaled his own. Malik kept up the visage, however, and glared at him. He mouthed the words 'follow my lead,' and Xenos nodded.

"Malik, don't you agree that our situation is very...ironic? I mean, after all, my father killed yours in an alley very similar to this one, did he not?"

Malik clenched his fists hard, and was fighting off the urge to break this kid's face. He was aware of Giovanni Jr. reaching for a poke ball on his belt, and Malik reached for his own. Xenos stepped forward, joining by Giovanni Jr.'s side, and reached for his poke ball as well. Just as Malik prepared for battle with the two brothers, he felt a familiar presence running over, and Athaliah busted into the alley way.

"Malik, there you are, I-" She paused, noticing the two in front of Malik, throwing their poke balls, and she instinctively reached for her own, "Well, if you want to do a double battle, two-on-one is not the way to do it, go Swampert!"

Giovanni sent out his Machoke, and Xenos tossed the poke ball he thought was holding Magikarp. Malik's Umbreon stepped forward, and Malik knew it wanted revenge for the last battle they'd had. Malik was now glad that he hadn't told Xenos his Magikarp had evolved, because as soon as it came out, it began attacking everyone and their Pokémon, starting with Giovanni Jr.

The Gyarados was roaring loudly, and the Machoke was doing its best to avoid its attacks. In a rushed panic, Xenos withdrew Gyarados, and sent out Growlithe. Growlithe came roaring out of its poke ball, and the battle was on. Malik's Umbreon wasted no time in rushing Machoke, and it had the perfect opportunity since Machoke was slightly out of breath from the Gyarados.

Growlithe had tried to intercept Umbreon, but Athaliah's Swampert blasted it with a spray of water, and challenged it. Umbreon slammed into Machoke hard, and it reeled back in pain. Meanwhile, Growlithe and Swampert were fighting it out by a show of raw power, with Growlithe firing a powerful line of flames, and Swampert spraying a stron water pulse.

Machoke began to swing at Umbreon, but its speed had increased dramatically since their last battle, and Umbreon dodged its attacks with ease. Moving around behind Machoke, Umbreon jumped and latched onto its back, drawing blood. Machoke roared in pain, and struggled as hard as it could to get Umbreon to let go, but it was useless. Umbreon's eyes glowed, along with its rings, and dark energy poured from its fangs.

Though usually not very affective against fighting types, Umbreon's crunch was enough to bring down the mighty Machoke. Giovanni Jr. snarled and called back his Pokémon.

"Lucky break, but you're not the only one who's been training. Allow me to introduce the new and improved: Arcanine!"

He tossed his poke ball out, and the massive dog came roaring out even louder than Growlithe had done earlier. Umbreon was glaring, and Swampert had just recently downed Xenos' Growlithe, and forced him to send out Espeon.

"Malik, why don't you let me take down Arcanine, and you can take on your friend's Espeon?"

Malik nodded, and commanded Umbreon to attack, however, the two former Eevees simply greeted each other happily. Swampert, however, wasted no time in attacking Arcanine, who was shooting flames towards both Umbreon and Espeon. Swampert's water gun hadn't reached the two Pokémon in time, however, they both began using their power.

With eyes glowing blue, they redirected the powerful fire blast that was being expelled by Arcanine, and it hit him with a mighty blast of fire. Arcanine was hurt badly, having been hit with its own attack, but the onslaught wasn't over. Espeon and Umbreon both formed a dark shadow ball, and it glowed with both psychic and dark energy.

Instead of a ball of energy, they both fired it in a beam towards Arcanine, who fired a hyper beam back at the energy. At first their attacks clashed, but then Arcanine's hyper beam began giving way to the joint energy wave from Malik and Xenos' Pokemon. With tremendour power, the beam finally blasted its way through the hyper beam, and Arcanine went down hard.

Frustrated, Giovanni Jr. shoved Xenos back, and began ranting:

"Impossible, I can't believe your own Pokémon don't listen to you brother! Looks like I'll have to deal with these two myself!"

He sent out his last two poke balls, and out popped a Liepard and Krookodile, both of which Malik knew were dark type Pokémon. However, just as Umbreon was about to lunge, Swampert's chest began to swell massively, and Giovanni Jr.'s Pokémon became nervous. Umbreon moved out of the way just in time for a large splash of powerful water shot out, and hit both of the enemy's Pokémon hard.

Krookodile was downed instantly, while Liepard was reeling backwards. Umbreon dashed forward, glowing brilliantly, and used the darkness of the night to fade. Liepard lost track of Umbreon completely, and as it frantically searched, it found itself taking hit after hit. Swampert rushed forward at Liepard, and using both of its powerful arms, slammed its fists down hard, hammering on the opponent harshly.

With a cry of pain, Liepard went down, and Athaliah smirked, withdrawing her Pokémon. Umbreon returned to Malik's side, and Xenos withdrew his Pokémon.

"You were hardly even worth the effort," Athaliah shrugged, "What a waste of energy."

"How dare you! I am Giovanni Jr., heir to my father's empire! Hold your tongue!"

Malik rushed forward, and tried to grab Giovanni Jr., but he threw down a smoke pellet and vanished. coughing and trying to clear away the smoke, Umbreon had brought Malik two glinting objects. They were both Earth Badges, and Malik guessed that Giovanni Jr. had dropped them in his panicked escape. He handed one to Xenos, then the three of them returned to the diner.

There were police everywhere, and as soon as they arrived, one of the waiters shouted while pointing at Malik and Xenos. They traded glances of confusion, then looked back but there was an officer in their face already. Malik noticed the badge on his uniform, which read: Officer J. Roy.

He was a tall, muscular officer, and his thick and bushy moustache was covering his mouth, and when he spoke it merely moved up and down. Xenos was doing his best to hold back his laugh while the officer spoke, which was made easier by Malik elbowing his ribs hard.

"That waiter says you were the ones being fired at by these poisoned-tip arrows, is that true?"

Malik and Xenos just nodded, and as soon as the officer noticed the arrow in Xenos' shoulder, he rushed him over to the ambulance. Before Malik or Athaliah could react, the ambulance took off in a flashing blur of lights. It didn't take long for Malik to fill out the police report, and the officer assured him that Xenos would be out of the hospital by the morning.

Malik spent the night at Athaliah's home that night, and although he was worried about Xenos, he was glad to finally have some quality time with Athaliah. they spent most of the night talking, and Malik explained how he had met Giovanni Jr. before, but he had not known about Xenos' relation to him. They talked more, and Malik soon discovered that Athaliah had always longed for something more than just being a gym leader.

she went on about how she wanted to make the world a better place, and actually make a difference. She was glad that she restored honor to the Cerulean Gym, but it wasn't fulfilling her appetite for greater things. the moon outside was full, and Umbreon had fallen asleep. Malik was looking into Athaliah's eyes as she passionately described her dreams to travel the world.

Finally, the feeling inside him exploded, and he grabbed her neck firmly and kissed her. His heart pounded wildly, and he felt all thought leave his mind. Her lips were like velvet to his, and it was just moist enough to be enjoyable. She had been caught completely off guard, and couldn't help but return the kiss. for that moment, they were one, and then Malik pulled back.

This was a distraction, he knew, and he was fighting off the emotion. He looked at Athaliah, who was bright red from blushing, then looked away. She was confused, and found it difficult to sleep that night.

The next day, Xenos found his way to Athaliah's house, having asked Officer Roy, and Malik was already ready to go. Athaliah had decided she wanted to travel with them, and posted that the gym was looking for a temporary leader. They set out for the next destination, Saffron City, where the challenge of yet another gym awaited Malik's challenge, and he was more than ready.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Ch. 14: A Dark Connection!**_

The trio made their way to Route 5, and although this route was normally short, they had ran into multiple trainers along the way. They had even run into a group of thugs who tried to steal their Pokémon, but Xenos' Pikachu was enough to deal with them. Despite the minor hiccups, they were still making good progress. The real trouble came when Malik noticed he could no longer sense his surroundings like he normally could.

He stopped dead in his tracks, just as they approached the entrance to a forest, and Xenos and Athaliah looked at each other in confusion. Before they could ask what was wrong, however, they were swept away by an unseen force. Malik wheeled around, but they were gone. Surely he would have sensed whoever was taking them, yet his senses were somehow being blocked, but how?

As Malik was frozen in shock, a figure dressed in a hoodie of varying violet colors, and long, dark boots dropped down out of a tree. Malik stanced himself, noticing the aggressive way the stranger was approaching him, and got ready for a fight.

"So you're the empath I've been tracking," said the stranger in a slightly muffled voice, "Time to see if you really were worth the trouble!"

The guy rushed forward, and skillfully flourished a few punches and kicks, but Malik blocked and deflected them easily. They went at it this way for a few seconds, then the stranger's eyes glowed a dark blue color, and his strength doubled instantly. Punching directly for Malik's face, his hand was barely caught in time, and Malik was struggling to keep up with his strength.

"Come on," demanded the stranger, "Is this all you've got, youngling? Show me your true power!"

He kneed Malik hard in the gut, and Malik thought he might throw up for a moment. the stranger rushed forward, and placed a thumb on Malik's forehead. Malik could now feel the energy he was putting out, and the voice in his head was back.

"Let me out," said the eerie voice, "I won't kill...Let me out, I won't kill...LET ME OUT!"

Malik's eyes exploded with white energy, and his body was slightly contorting. His head jerked up, facing the stranger, and he rushed forward with blinding speed. It was all the stranger could do to keep up with Malik's speed, but he was still too slow. Malik swept his legs out from under him, and elbowed his face hard.

With a hard thud, the guy was slammed hard to the ground, and Malik was stepping forward, eyes still glowing, but the stranger had returned to normal. Malik picked him up by the neck, and was trying to strangle him, but the stranger again placed his thumb on Malik's forehead.

"NO," the voice screamed in agonizing pain, "No, stop it! IT HURTS!"

Malik lost his grip, and fell backwards in a daze. He was rubbing his head, and the stranger removed his face mask, which was merely a cloth covering his nose and mouth.

"You'll need to control your power if you want to succeed in your future, otherwise, all of your hard work will go to waste," and after saying this, the stranger was gone.

Malik was more confused than ever, but Xenos and Athaliah had missed the entire scene. Umbreon returned with them, and Malik realized he didn't even notice Umbreon take off while the stranger awakened his dormant side. what exactly had just happened to him, and whose voice was in his head? Could it be a possession, or was his inner ability trying to take on a personality of its own?

Umbreon walked over to Malik, who was sitting down with a major migraine, and they both suddenly passed out. Although Xenos and Athaliah tried to wake them, it was useless, and the trance they were in was strange to Malik. Malik was seeing everything in the form of energy, and even he was floating in his own stream.

He could see Umbreon's, but it was flickering, and Malik could feel it weakening. they were on top of a mountain, and a large green dragon Pokémon was roaring down at them. It crashed into the ground multiple times, with Malik and Umbreon both dodging its attacks. Left and right, it fired massive beams of energy, and finally Umbreon was hit hard. It was struggling to get up, but the Pokémon was too fast, and Umbreon took yet another powerful hit.

Malik screamed, but it was too late, and Umbreon collapsed. Malik's rage built to an incredibly high level, and he screamed in a fiery rage. The dragon was firing a beam down at him, but his aura reflected it back. His entire body was glowing with intense, white energy, and lightning struck down on the Pokémon. the lightning bolt hadn't been white, however, but it was black instead.

The large dragon-like Pokémon roared in agonizing pain, and it collapsed. Malik was now back in the streams of energy, and saw Umbreon's energy, back to normal, and then they both woke up. It was now night time, but Malik's vision of the future had scared him greatly.

Not only was he out to save the world from its poverty, but now he had to save himself and his Pokémon. Xenos had fallen asleep, but Athaliah was staring at him with a look of deep concern. Malik couldn't look her in the eyes, however, because he needed to keep this emotion of fear to remind him of what needed to be done.

Whatever this power was, whatever he was capable of, it needed to be controlled, and he would find a way to do it. Finally, he was able to relax, and Athaliah was still looking at him.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

Her voice was even more soothing than any he had ever heard, but he still shook his head in rejection. He was afraid of what she would think if she knew about the power he possessed, and it was too soon for him to trust her. He had talked to her a lot sooner than he had ever talked to anyone, even his brother, but he still couldn't trust her completely.

Also heavy on his mind was Xenos being Giovanni Jr.'s brother, and he was now very suspicious. They both sat there, looking at the moon and stars, and all the while Umbreon and Espeon had also gone somewhere to be alone. Athaliah leaned her head on Malik's chest, and fell asleep. He just held her, but he couldn't shake the feeling of restlessness inside him, and he found solace under the night sky.

The next morning, the three of them awoke to the sound of panic. They were closer to Saffron City than they had realized, and the city was in an uproar. They quickly grabbed their things, and headed into the city to see what the commotion was about. when they arrived, it was absolute chaos, and everything was extremely hectic.

The Crimson Jewel was in a battle with a young girl, who had powerful Pokémon for her young age, and she wasn't looking to pleased. According to the crowd, she had tried to steal some Pokémon from the Pokémon Center, and this girl had stopped her in her tracks.

"You really think you can beat me, little girl? Go, Charmeleon!"

"I don't just think I'm going to beat you, I'll guarantee it! Marowak, I Choose You!"

They both sent out their Pokémon, and the battle was on. Charmeleon's flamethrower attacks were powerful, but they were missing. With a powerful thrust, Marowak tossed its hardened bone club at Charmeleon. It was a direct hit, and the flame Pokémon took extensive damage. Marowak continued until the Charmeleon was knocked unconscious with a hit to its head.

"Give up," demanded the girl, "You're way out of your league here, and your Pokémon don't stand a chance!"

The thief growled, and tossed out her next poke ball, which revealed a Camerupt. The ground/fire type Pokémon stood a decent chance against Marowak, and rendered its bone club almost useless. The two Pokémon fiercely battled, but Marowak made the mistake of trying to jump over Camerupt to gain the edge, and that's when Camerupt used its special technique.

Fire and rocks shot out of its two volcano-like humps, and Marowak went down hard. The girl withdrew here Marowak, and the thief was laughing hysterically. Aggravatedly, the girl tossed out her next Pokémon, this time it was her Nidoqueen. The large, turquoise Pokémon towered over the Camerupt, and it boasted an incredible physique.

Camerupt tried using its fire attacks, but they did little to stop the giant Pokémon, which was stomping wildly, causing a miniature earthquake. The Camerupt finally lost its balance, and the Nidoqueen was ordered to end the battle. It rushed forward, and slammed the fallen Camerupt with its powerful tail.

The thief returned her Pokémon, but just as she was about to send out her next one, the police came screeching into the plaza. Before they could apprehend her, however, she dropped a smoke pellet, and then vanished out of thin air. Malik, Xenos, Athaliah, and Umbreon ran over to where the girl was standing as she called back her Nidoqueen.

"That was incredible," Xenos gushed at her, "You handled your Pokémon with such great skill, I wonder what else you could handle?"

The girl punched him in the nose so hard the cracking sound echoed throughout the plaza. Malik just shook his head, and dragged Xenos away, but the girl shouted at him.

"Hey you, do I know you from somewhere?"

Malik looked over, slightly confused, and shook his head no. But the girl seemed certain, and she seemed to be thinking back to a memory of some sort.

"Yeah, I'm sure of it," she blurted out, "You were the guy in my dream last night! You have that shiny Umbreon with you, don't you?"

Malik seemed taken back, and Xenos muttered something about the man of her dreams. Athaliah grabbed Malik's jacket and pulled him, but the girl was running over to them.

"Here, you told me in the dream to give you this," she said handing him a package, "Oh and by the way, my name's Kaylah, and I'm a Pokémon Ranger."

After handing him the package, she ran off, and Malik guessed she was going to track down the thief. The package was light, and the box wasn't very large either. He waited until they were alone at a local diner to open it. Both Xenos and Athaliah were curious about what was inside, but their anticipation only worsened when they saw what it was.

Malik pulled out an amulet, though he had never seen anything like it. It had a dragon insignia etched on the front side, and an ancient writing on the back that he couldn't read. What had Kaylah meant by 'the guy in her dream?' Had he gone traveling to someone else's mind without knowing it, or was this merely a coincidence?

He didn't have enough time to dwell on this, both due to the gym challenge ahead, and that he already had so much going on with Athaliah. He remained focussed on his goals, and they made their way to the Saffron Gym. This would be one of Malik's greatest challenges; the Saffron Gym was known to boast powerful, psychic Pokémon, but Malik was fully ready to win.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Ch. 15: Psyched Up**_

Malik had put on the amulet that Kaylah had given to him, and he now seemed to at least partly understand it. He could feel his energy being kept under control, and felt more focussed. The gym felt maze-like, and he was having a hard time navigating. Then he heard a strange voice echo through his mind, and he stopped to listen.

"Welcome, Malik, to my gym. I am Shivah, and I am the leader of the psychic gym of Saffron City."

Her voice seemed to echo endlessly in his mind, and it took a while for the sound to fade. As he listened more, each riddle seemed to give him the right direction to get to where she was. Solving one puzzle after the other, he saw her meditating on a medium-sized matt.

She opened her eyes, and Malik felt the link separate between them. She stood up, and Malik stepped forward as she gestured to the adjacent matt in front of her. His first choice was definitely going to be his Umbreon, especially since she favored psychic Pokémon.

"Welcome," she said calmly, "I'm glad your mind is just as strong as you and your Pokemon's will. Usually, it takes longer for trainers to reach me here."

Malik merely shrugged, and she proceeded to throw her first Pokémon out. The poke ball busted open, and Malik wasn't surprised to see that he Pokémon was a Hypno. Malik was well equipped with knowledge about this Pokémon, and knew that it would have a hard time using its hypnosis techniques on Umbreon.

Umbreon stepped forward, and the battle began. Both trainers were commanding their Pokémon without speaking, but Malik could tell that his abilities were still very different from Shivah's. For one thing, he could actually view the battle from Umbreon's perspective, and he could also anticipate his opponents next move.

Hypno's psychic attacks had no effect on Umbreon, and Umbreon easily slammed into her Hypno repeatedly. She finally attempted to have Hypno use its hypnosis powers on Umbreon, and Hypno began chanting. Though it was indeed strong, Umbreon was only slowed down slightly.

Malik smirked, and as Umbreon made its last lunge, Malik commanded it to use night slash. Dashing left and right, Umbreon left a residue of dark energy slashes across Hypno's torso with a final slash going across its face. Writhing in pain as the energy delved deep into its body, the Hypno collapsed in a matter of seconds.

Shivah returned her Pokémon calmly, and cast out her next Pokémon. Umbreon returned to Malik's side, and as the Froslass came out of its ball, Malik sent out Houndoom. He was getting the impression that this battle was going to be way too easy, but that just meant a guaranteed badge for him.

Houndoom howled loudly, but Froslass remained still. Houndoom stood for a moment, then rushed at the opponent, baring its flaming fangs. It bit down, but the Froslass seemed unaffected, and Houndoom became very confused. Malik's eyes went wide, but it was too late even as Houndoom turned around.

The illusion had faded, and Froslass froze Houndoom solid in a matter of seconds. Houndoom's face was frozen, and the expression of complete shock was still etched on its face. Froslass began swirling around it, chanting as it did so, and ice shards began pelting the frozen Houndoom.

Malik was getting ready to recall Houndoom, but then its eyes began glowing red along with its tail and body. The ice melted quickly, and Houndoom roared even louder than before. It began to spout flames, forcing the Froslass to dodge left and right, and was leaving it little time to do another illusion.

Using fire spin, Houndoom finally managed to get Froslass cornered, and it began to slowly approach. This time, it didn't give the ghost/ice Pokémon a chance to make a move, and finished the fight with its flamethrower. Just before the fire hit it, Shivah withdrew Froslass quickly. Malik called back his Houndoom, and smirked at the gym leader proudly.

With both sending out their Pokémon at the same time, Malik's Elekid and Shivah's Murkrow were facing each other, and glaring menacingly. Malik didn't fully realize it, but he was looking at one of the unluckiest Pokémon in existence. Not that it was unlucky for its own sake, but it gave its opponents bad fortune.

Elekid, instead of going to battle, was walking towards Malik. Malik looked at it confused, but just went with it for now. Though he didn't think he had anything to fear from a baby Pokémon, Elekid hugged his leg. At first nothing happened, and Malik was confused slightly. With Shivah watching curiously, Elekid discharged a massive amount of electricity, and Malik was shaking violently.

Elekid stopped, and began cheering and clapping happily. Malik, having fallen over, sat up and glared at Elekid. This was the first time he had used Elekid since he captured it, and it wasn't trained at all, so Malik let it slide this time. It seemed that Elekid was more interested in playing around than battling, but as it walked towards Umbreon, Murkrow flew over to it and pecked it hard.

Peck after peck, the Murkrow pelted Malik's Elekid relentlessly, and it began to build its rage. It had stopped struggling, and even as the Murkrow continued pecking it, Elekid's eyes and fists glowed with intense electrical energy. It reached up, grabbing the Murkrow by the neck, and electrocuted it relentlessly. The attack was so bright, only Malik could watch as the Murkrow was zapped over and over again.

Tossing the unconscious bird aside happily, Elekid roared and threw its hands in the air, chanting proudly. Malik laughed slightly, and applauded his Pokémon. The gym leader smiled slightly, and sent out her last Pokémon. As the Gengar came out of its ball, Malik returned Elekid.

Reaching for his Scyther, Malik sent out the Pokémon quickly. He had a theory that Gengars were only able to avoid attacks due to their transparent bodies. He thought this ability, like any other, needed to be activated, however, and knew that Scyther's speed would be enough to match it.

Gengar began laughing at Scyther hysterically, and it also began to make faces at Scyther. Scyther was growing annoyed, and as it scraped its bladed arms together, it dashed forward. Gengar dodged easily, and Scyther seemed to crash into an invisible wall just behind Gengar. Again, the Gengar began laughing loudly, taunting and agitating Scyther even further.

Malik was trying to calm Scyther down with his mind, but Scyther was shutting him out. Attempt after attempt, Scyther repeatedly fell for the same tricks, and Malik was starting to get just as annoyed. Finally, his anger got the best of him, and he shouted at Scyther:

"Hey! IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE MADE A FOOL OF GAIN, TRY CALMING DOWN AND FOCUSSING!"

Scyther looked at Malik with a stern look for a moment, but then it nodded and tried to focus. Gengar was still laughing and taunting, but the affect had worn off from Scyther, and as it lunged forward anticipating the Gengar's trick, it sliced up, hitting it hard. Just like its battle with Jenny's Golem, a large 'X' shape was slashed on the Gengar's torso.

Gengar was grabbing at the mark in pain, landing on the ground while it did so, and Scyther was still rushing. It sliced again and again, and the Gengar barely had time to react. Finally, Scyther let up on it, but it was too late, and the Gengar collapsed and fell backwards. Withdrawing her Gengar, the gym leader had an all-too-calm expression.

Saying nothing, she walked towards Malik, handed him the Marsh Badge, and went back to her matt to meditate. As he began to walk back towards the entrance, he heard her voice in his head again. He looked back, but she was in a deep trance, and sitting silently.

"I can sense that you are powerful, but unless you learn to control your power, it will consume you."

Malik seemed taken back, but he wasn't surprised that she had sensed the power inside of him, after all she was a psychic. He again prepared to leave, but she spoke once again in his mind.

"You've wondered what you are, thinking maybe you're just a psychic like myself and many others. This is false."

Malik was confused, and what did she mean 'false?' Was she implying that he wasn't a psychic?

"You are so much more than a mere psychic. I'd say you're more of an evolved psychic than anything. A certain stranger you recently met seems to hold all the information you need. Seek him out, and you will find your answers."

Of course! The stranger that wore the hood, and had attacked Malik. He had mentioned Malik's ability as well, and said the same thing: if he didn't control it, it would consume him. How did they expect him to do that, though? He didn't even fully understand it himself, yet he had a suspicion he soon would.

He left the gym and set out to reunite with his friends, who were most likely gathering supplies.


	16. Chapter 16

_**Ch. 16: Missing In Action!**_

As soon as Malik got outside of the Saffron gym, Athaliah was running towards him in a panic. He was caught off guard, having placed his new badge in the box he carried them in, and was trying to get her to calm down.

"It's Xenos," she cried, panting from running, "That guy from the alley, he...he took him. He told me to tell you if you wanted to see him again...you'd have to find them."

Malik clenched his fists, and his rage built. It seemed that, despite Giovanni being dead, his offspring were just as bad. Xenos seemed to be less evil than his brother, however, and he wanted to help his friend. As they debated how they were going to find Xenos, the mysterious figure Malik had met on Route 5 approached them.

"Stop wasting time," he shouted, "You know what you have to do! Use your power and find your friend before it's too late, you fool!"

Malik's eyes went wide, and Athaliah looked from the stranger to Malik with extreme confusion. He tried to look away, but her gaze was too persistent.

"Malik, what is he talking about," she demanded, "What power do you have?"

Malik stood up, remaining silent, and glared at the stranger. The stranger just nodded, and Malik closed his eyes. He was viewing the world as the energy it was consisted of, and broadened his gaze. First he saw the street, then the city, the entire Kanto region. He slowed it down, and began to search for Xenos' energy signature.

As he did so, his eyes glowed white, and Athaliah became slightly nervous. She was too intrigued, however, and the stranger placed his hand on her shoulder to reassure her. Malik's energy relaxed, and he had found them. Slamming a map down on a nearby table, he pointed to a warehouse just outside the city on Route 6.

"They're here," he said firmly, "Giovanni Jr. has Xenos in a cage. He's just standing there, waiting...but he...he saw me. I can't explain it, but he looked at me."

The stranger seemed to dwell on the thought for a moment, but as soon as Malik noticed him trying to read his mind, Malik forced him out. glaring at him, Malik flipped him off and spoke:

"No one asked you for your help, and if I don't even know your name, how do you expect me to trust you enough to read my mind?"

"Forgive me," the stranger said, "My name is Dakriel, and I'm just like you, a Pokedept. I'll explain more later, but now we need to get to your friend and help him."

Malik glared, and still refusing to let Dakriel read his mind, he sent out Abra. He commanded Abra to lock onto Xenos' energy signature, and then take them to where he was being held. It took a little while, but after about two or three minutes, Abra reached for Malik's hand. Taking hold of Abra, and the others, and they were once again warped away.

In a matter of seconds, Malik, Athaliah, and Dakriel were standing in front of the mouth of Diglett's Cave. Giovanni Jr. had built a cage with thick steel bars, and Xenos was inside. Xenos' face had lit up with excitement as they arrived, but when he saw the strange figure with Malik and Athaliah, he grew confused.

"Ah Malik," Xenos' brother proclaimed, "So glad you could join us. As you can see I've taken your friend, and I'm sure you must be wondering why I have done this."

Malik clenched his fists, glaring at Giovanni Jr., but he tried his best to stay calm. The criminal prodigy continued with his speech:

"Now, though I have many reasons for using this method to gain your undivided attention, I have only one request. You see, I'm just having the hardest time evolving my Machoke into a Machamp, and a little bird told me that you have a short-cut for evolution. Is that true?"

Malik's memory flashed, and he was back in the cave with Eevee. He saw his arm glowing, then when Eevee evolved. But how had he known? He wasn't even there, and that's when Malik remembered the only other person who had seen what happened. The Crimson Jewel had seen the entire thing, it seemed, and she had even gone out of her way to ask him about it.

"Yes, it seems my source wasn't lying. That is very good for me, and fortunate for you. I'll release your friend...if you evolve my Machoke."

Malik was only slightly shocked at the request, but then he felt himself begin to laugh. Everyone else was looking at him with a confused look at first, but then he just shrugged and held his hand out. Giovanni Jr. handed him the ball containing the Machoke, and Malik sent it out.

Machoke was ripped, and it was larger than Malik had remembered it to be. It was obviously at its peak time for evolution, and Malik tried to focus. The amulet seemed to be lending him strength, and he felt his energy rise. It felt as though he were being pulled from all directions, and then he began to feel nauseated.

That's when it happened, and his eyes glowed white. This time both of his arms were lit up, and the same swirling energy was coursing through him. He grabbed the Machoke's arms, and the evolution started. Machoke lit up the same as the energy as Malik's, then it began to change.

It grew taller, and the two arms it had split into two each. Its already bulky physique grew even more muscular, and Malik felt its energy increase by over four times its original strength. Malik let go, and allowed the evolution to continue, but just as he had stopped, Machamp was already fully evolved.

Malik turned to look at Giovanni Jr., who was just watching expectantly, and Machamp grabbed Malik by the neck. Athaliah and Dakriel ran over, but they couldn't pry Machamp's powerful arms from him. The other two arms knocked the two of them back, and Machamp began pelting Malik's stomach hard with one super punch after another.

Malik could no longer breath, and with the combination of the punches and his neck being squeezed, he was ready to black out. As everyone watched in horror as Malik was being beaten, Umbreon jumped onto Machamp's back, and bit down hard. Machamp dropped Malik immediately, and screamed loudly as Umbreon drew a vast amounnt of its blood.

Malik was down on his knees, and began to cough up blood. He had felt his veins begin to pop, along with his ears, and he couldn't see streight. Machamp was struggling with Umbreon slashing and gnawing on its back angrily. It finally got a hold of Umbreon, and slammed it down on the ground hard. Umbreon got back up, struggling, and stood in front of Malik protectively.

Machamp kicked it hard, and Umbreon hit the roof of the cave entrance hard. As Machamp reached down for Malik's neck once again, no one moved, but no one had noticed Abra. Suddenly, Machamp's arms were stopped by an unseen force, and Abra was levitating behind Machamp, and glowing brightly with blue energy. It cocked its head to the right, and Machamp went flying.

Machamp got back up, staring at the Abra with intense rage, and charged after it. Malik was finally struggling to get up, and he stood up just in time to see Machamp go flying back into the cave, and heard it crash into one of the inside walls. Malik called back Umbreon into its ball, and was about to call back Abra, but it began evolving.

Athaliah and Dakriel ran over to the cage holding Xenos captive, and were trying to unlock it. Malik's head was spinning, and as he struggled to gain his focus, he was knocked over by Giovanni Jr., who was running into the cave after his newly evolved Machamp. dakriel ran after him, and Athaliah finally managed to get the cage open. With Abra still evolving, Malik passed out from the loss of blood.

Meanwhile, in the cave, Giovanni Jr. found himself face-to-face with Dakriel, who was already challenging him to a battle. Giovanni Jr. returned his fainted Machamp, and sent out Arcanine to challenge Dakriel's Metang. Arcanine was trying its best to hit Metang with its powerful fire attacks, but in the cave, Metang had the advantage.

Using its magnetic power, it maneuvered easily past all the attacks. On command, Metang clawed at the wall, and a massive rock slide crashed down at the foe's Arcanine. Arcanine dodged, and took advantage of the Matang's now-slow speed. It rushed forward, and a powerful fire burst from its body.

Metang didn't have enough time to dodge the attack, and the flames hit it hard. Its metallic body heated up to the point of turning red, and Dakriel was forced to call it back. Dakriel reached for his next poke ball, and sent out his Kadabra. The rocks were still falling, however, and Arcanine's leg was hit hard. Moving away from the rubble, Arcanine was now limping slightly.

Dakriel's Kadabra was watching the Arcanine carefully, and moving its hands around while chanting. Arcanine growled deeply, then rushed forward. As it was about to attack, Kadabra stopped moving, and had Arcanine in a psychic grip. Levitating the recently fallen rocks, Kadabra pelted Arcanine with them repeatedly. Out of desperation, Arcanine sent out a blast of flames that burnt Kadabra, and Kadabra lost its grip.

As Dakriel's Pokémon began to recover from the damage, Arcanine took advantage of the opportunity, and slammed into Kadabra, sending it flying sideways into the cave wall. Its limp had grown worse, however, and as it tried to attack yet again, its leg broke under its own weight. With a mighty roar, Arcanine went down hard, and the cave itself shook under its massive weight.

Giovanni Jr. was forced to call it back, and reached for his third Pokémon, Liepard. The dark-type feline came roaring out, and before Kadabra could react, it had lunged aggressively. Its claws were embued with dark energy, and it was slashing Kadabra repeatedly. Kadabra tried using its psychic powers, but not only did it have insufficient time, its abilities were useless against the dark type.

Dakriel quickly called back Kadabra, and smirked. He sent out his Vulpix, which was a bit bigger than other Vulpix. Liepard lunged again, but Vulpix was well-trained, and avoided the attack. It shot out a massive flame that scorched Liepard painfully. Dashing out-of-the-way, Liepard rushed at Vulpix again, and hit it hard.

Vulpix struggled to get back up, but its energy exploded in a fiery rage. Liepard lunged yet again, but this time the flames that Vulpix spewed were twice as powerful. Liepard went flying back, with the flames roaring wildly around it, and was knocked out instantly. Even as the trainer recalled his dark Pokémon, Vulpix was still spouting its flames angrily.

Dakriel withdrew Vulpix, but as Giovanni Jr. was about to use his last Pokémon, the cave began to rumble violently, and they both froze for a moment. The quaking stopped, and they thought it was safe to continue, however something unexpected happened. A few Digletts sprang up from the ground near Dakriel, and greeted him happily.

He smiled and waved at the mole Pokémon, and just chuckled slightly as it burrowed its way back under ground. The same few Diglett, it seemed, went over to greet Giovanni Jr., but instead of being friendly, he tried to kick them repeatedly. The Diglett grew angry, and began to burrow strategically, and as they did so, the cave began to rumble once more.

The ground was shaking uncontrollably, and Dakriel ran out of the cave along with Giovanni Jr., but as they got to the entrance of Diglett's Cave, only Dakriel managed to make it out. As the rocks that were falling blocked the massive entrance to the cave, no sign of Giovanni Jr. could be found anywhere.

Malik had been carried off to the nearest town by Athaliah and Xenos, who were both exhausted from his unnatural weight. Though he looked thin, his body was completely, and perfectly muscular. He had been immediately placed in the intensive care unit, and the doctors estimated it would be some time before he recovered.

It seemed that things were looking down for Malik, and as his friends patiently waited for news on his condition, the only thing they could do was wait and hope. Hope, it seemed, was in short supply.


	17. Chapter 17

_**Ch. 17: Intensive Care**_

Malik had spent the last two days in his comatose state, and Xenos had finally opted on renting a hotel room until he recovered. Athaliah had stayed at the hotel, along with Umbreon, and none of them had heard from Dakriel since the incident at Diglett's Cave. Although Umbreon had finally fallen asleep, Athaliah was still in the waiting room, and she had cried non-stop for the entire waiting period.

Finally, a nurse approached her, and told her it was safe to go into his room. The scene was horrifying, and as she looked at the critical condition he was in, she all but broke down. The scars on both of his eyes were same now, and fully healed. He had metal bar-like structures protruding from his ribs, and a dialysis machine beeped softly in the background, keeping track of his heart rate.

Umbreon had been so deprived of sleep that it simply walked over to the chair closest to Malik, and curled up to go to sleep once again. Athaliah knelt by his bed-side, and began crying. Without her noticing, Malik's hand wiped away a tear that had trickled down her cheek to his hand.

She looked up, and he opened his eyes to look at her. Despite the excruciating pain he was in, he couldn't help but remember the first time he'd seen her. To him, she was the most beautiful thing in the world, and no matter what happened, he could bear it as long as he had her by his side.

"Visiting hours," he mumbled, "are from ten to eleven..."

His voice was hoarse and dry, and it was all he could do to get the words out. Athaliah just chuckled, and as she wiped her eyes dry, she sniffled slightly as well. She didn't quite understand Malik, and to her, that he could be in so much pain, and still keep a sense of humor, was a mark of strength she adored in him.

"Are you crazy," she said faintly, "You could've been killed, what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking," Malik replied in a raspy voice, "What will happen if I don't do it."

Even though his eyes were slightly swollen, there was no denying the look of passion in his eyes, and Athaliah blushed even more. The nurse came into the room to check on him, and was relieved to see that he had awoken. She explained that he had suffered four broken ribs, a punctured lung, and that his major organs had been severely bruised.

Malik was lucky to be alive, much less to have suffered such minimal damage. The nurse gave him about a six-week minimum healing period, and he was to stay at the hospital until then. Though he wasn't too thrilled about being stuck in bed rest, Malik did as he was told, and anxiously awaited the day when he could continue with his mission.

A few weeks had passed by, and Fakir had made a couple of stops to Malik's room, bearing one gift or another. He had told Malik that Pallet Town had gained a lot more visitors recently, and a few of the residents had opened up shops advertising merchandise relating to Malik and his Pokémon. It seemed, however minimal, that Malik was indeed fulfilling his goal of saving his home town from poverty.

His brother had noticed the amulet he was wearing, and when he asked about it, he had called it the Amulet of the Night Sky. Although his brother assured him it was mostly myth and rumors, the amulet was said to strengthen the hidden powers one possessed, and amplify their abilities tremendously.

The next good news came when the nurse reported that Malik's body had regenerated at an accelerated pace, and he was recovering twice as fast as a normal person could. Malik was both relieved, and concerned by this news, but he paid no mind to it. His favorite parts of the day were when Athaliah was there.

She always stayed with him until he fell asleep, and she always brought him treats. He was thankful for the gifts, but the greatest gift was the kisses they shared. Over the course of the three weeks, their relationship had grown into something more passionate, and it could be seen in their eyes.

However, in Malik's eyes, perhaps more could be seen. He hadn't told anyone, but his power had began to manifest itself into a separate personality. The voice in his head, he realized, had been the dark power itself trying to take control. It was beginning to be too difficult to fight off, and he wasn't sure what to do. For now, though, he would focus on getting back on his feet, and focus on the task at hand.

Two days later, Malik received the okay to leave the hospital, and Xenos had come to pick him up, eager to continue on with their journey. Though their friendship was still strained, Malik knew he could trust Xenos, and he would try his best to be more relaxed around Xenos as much as possible.

As they returned to Route 6, and neared the gates to Vermillion City, a familiar duo stood in their way. This was the last thing Malik was in the mood for, but the only way to end this quickly was to get rid of Jade and Jeice quickly as well. They stepped forward, and began a chant:

"In times of peril, in times of hate," began the female.

"Team Rocket returns to seal your fate," the male continued.

"We're mean and ruthless, you soon will see," she continued.

"How powerful merely two can be," the male said in an upbeat tone.

"Jade," she said.

"Jeice," he said.

"Team Rocket, standing for the fate of all," the girl shouted, striking a pose.

"Surrender now, or prepare to fall," the guy finished, also striking a pose.

"So," Xenos said dryly, "Not only are you two a waste of time in battle, but even your rhyming skills stink on ice."

Malik and Athaliah chuckled slightly, but the thugs weren't as amused. They began to protest, but yet another figure made his way out of the woods nearby, and stepped in-between the two thieves and the trio.

"You'll have to excuse them," Giovanni Jr. started, "But under official rules, all members of the new Team Rocket are required to have an introduction sequence."

He grinned, noting Malik gripping his ribs painfully. He took a step forward, but Xenos stepped in front of Malik.

"Hold it," he said, "If you wanna fight him, you gotta go through me first."

"Foolish brother," said Xenos' brother casually, "I'm not interested in finishing off your friend. I just came by to say hello, and to see how you all were doing. Well, it's been fun, but I'm afraid I have other business to attend to. I'll let my grunts play around with you for a bit."

The two thugs grinned menacingly, but Xenos and Malik weren't intimidated in the least bit. As Giovanni Jr. disappeared back into the woods, the two thugs sent out their first Pokémon. Malik and the others watched as Sandslash came out, but their faces were in shock as the female grunt sent out a Liepard.

Her Pokémon must have finally evolved, and Malik knew they were in for a challenge. Although her boss's Liepard had been strong, her Purrloin managed to rival its strength in its pre-evolutionary form, and that meant it would at least be twice as strong as before. Xenos looked over at Malik, who was now breathing heavily, and still holding his ribs.

"Maybe you should sit this one out," Xenos remarked.

"Yeah, you don't look so good," Athaliah added.

Malik looked back at her, and then nodded. Stepping aside, he let her battle instead, and Umbreon stayed by his side. At the same time, both Xenos and Athaliah sent out their Pokémon. Athaliah sent out her Swampert, and Xenos sent out his Combusken. As Malik watched, he heard a rustling sound coming from behind him, along with strange voices that seemed oddly familiar.

"SHH! Keep quiet or they'll hear us," one of them was saying.

"How am I supposed to keep quiet in a forest full of twigs," the other retorted.

Malik turned around, and saw the camera crew that had filmed him at the Cerulean gym. They were trying to get as close as they could without interrupting the battle at hand, but as soon as they saw Malik, they disregarded the battle completely, and began to interview him.

"Hi folks! Tracy Strauss here with yet another exciting daily report!"

Malik shifted uncomfortably, trying to resist the urge to hold his sides due to the pain. Then the reporter continued:

"I'm standing just outside Vermillion City, where I have run into none other than our grande hero, Malik," she declared into the camera.

She wheeled around to face Malik, and the camera seemed to follow her gaze. Malik hadn't noticed her blonde, wavy hair before, nor her pin-striped dress. The camera man, however, was casually dressed in a white T-shirt, and jeans. While her physique was slim-and-slender, the camera man boasted more bulk than anything else, and he was about even with her height.

"So Malik, we know that by now, you've at least got four badges, one of which we watched you obtain first hand. Any response on how difficult or easy it was to get them?"

"Well I, uh," Malik wasn't sure what to say, but then something took him over, "Yeah, as a matter of fact I do. I think each gym boasted some pretty good Pokémon, but the fact remains that mine are just about the toughest around. I hope Sage, the Vermillion Gym Leader, is ready for me, because I'm knocking at the door!"

He didn't know where this attitude had come from, nor did he know why he had acted as arrogant as that. It didn't seem to bother the camera crew, however, and they continued with their report.

"Wow folks, not only boasting some incredible Pokémon, but you heard it first from Channel 12 News, and it seems our hero has great confidence in his Pokémon."

Again she wheeled around, this time with more excitement than before, and the questions continued.

"Malik, it would seem you've gained a loyal following, and in such a short amount of time! Tell me, do you have any words for those loving fans of yours?"

"Yeah," said Malik, again without knowing why, "Keep an eye on me, and I promise I'll be taking down the Pokémon League for sure."

"Incredible," the reporter declared, "With confidence and power, Malik is sure to cause an uproar among the Pokémon league, but can he afford to make such waves at such an early stage in the game? Only time will tell, and we'll certainly be there to bring you all the action. This is Tracy Strauss signing off!"

They both thanked him for the interview, and then left in a hurry. Malik turned back around, and just in time too. It seemed Liepard was the only Pokémon that the Team Rocket duo had left, and it was all down to Athaliah's Swampert and Xenos' Pikachu. They had the Liepard on the ropes, and it was dodging both electricity and water blasts left and right.

Xenos' Pikachu rushed forward, jumped on the Liepard's back, and electrocuted it with a huge wave that even streamed to Swampert. Luckily, Swampert was immune to electric attacks due to its film-covered skin. The Liepard took extensive damage, but it whipped around forcefully, and the Pikachu was thrown off.

Taking advantage of its moment of stillness, Swampert finally managed to get in a significant blow. Kicking up the ground in front of it for a few feet, it sprayed enough water to cause a small tidal wave, and surfed forward on it. The muddy water hit Liepard hard, and then Swampert slammed its huge fists down on the dark Pokémon.

With a mighty roar, the Liepard finally went down, and Swapert was glaring at Jade, even as she backed away and recalled her Pokémon. The two thugs ran off, and Malik was clapping for them. His head was spinning, however, and he had felt his energy increase dramatically.

The voice in his head was whispering, but he couldn't make out any of the words. It seemed to be chanting in some way, and he felt its effects taking him down. Finally blacking out, even as his friends ran over to him, he collapsed. The voice continued, and as the trio found their way to a hospital in Vermillion City, no one was certain if Malik would awaken or not, and the uncertainty settled in once again.


	18. Chapter 18

_**Ch. 18: Inner Peace**_

The scene Malik awoke to was horrifying. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, and saw Athaliah sitting in the corner rocking and crying. The room had been demolished, with the machines wrecked completely, and a corpse lay in the far corner near the door. Athaliah looked up as Malik moved out of the bed, but as he approached her, she panicked and jumped back.

He looked at her confused, and as the smell of burning cement and dry wall filled his nose, he grew ever more suspicious. Although he didn't know it, he had been unconscious for two entire days, and his power had done all the work for him. He sat back down, feeling dizzy again, and began to have what felt like flashbacks.

He was rushed into the hospital room, still unconscious, and he layed there, stiff and lifeless, for a few hours. Only a few moments afterwards, Malik's eyes had opened, glowing white with that intense energy, and he floated off the bed. The nurse was frightened, and began screaming, trying to open the door.

This Malik was too powerful, however, and was keeping the door shut. As he moved, the floor, which was four feet under him, cracked and crumbled, eventually catching on fire. The walls on all sides did the same, and his energy was flaring intensely.

Suddenly, the nurse couldn't move, and she felt herself being dragged by an unseen force. Malik had pointed his hand at her, smiling with a sinister grin, and she was pulled directly to his hand in a flash. she screamed, and as she did so, Malik began laughing hysterically.

As her body decayed rapidly, Malik could feel himself being energized with her life force. Her face sunk in, and became a mummified version of its original form. Her body reacted in much the same way, and her skin eventually turned grey, and Malik finally tossed her aside.

Athaliah had watched in horror, and Umbreon had ran out of the room, and went to seek out the one person it thought could help. Malik began to approach Athaliah, but his energy reacted strangely. He began to burst violently, and grabbed his ears as if hearing some painfully loud noise.

He screamed a blood curling scream, and dashed out of the room in a frenzy. the entire hospital began shaking violently, and screams could be heard all outside of the room. Malik returned to his bed, exhausted from using all of that energy, and returned to sleep once more.

Malik returned from the flashback, and was looking at Athaliah in horror.

"I did this," he muttered, "How could I have allowed this to happen?"

Athaliah was crying, but she realized that Malik had finally returned to normal, and she walked over to him. She was about to hold him close, but she was afraid to touch him. What was worse was that he felt the people's life force inside of him, and he had their memories in his head.

Dakriel and Xenos came sprinting into the room, and Dakriel tackled Malik. Xenos shut the door, locking it as tight as he could, considering its dececrated state, and helped Dakriel pin him down.

"Where is it," Dakriel demanded, "Where is the Amulet of the Night Sky?"

"Listen to him, Malik," Xenos added, "You need to take it off, because if you don't, it'll take you over."

Upon hearing that Malik was, in fact, wearing the amulet, Dakriel ripped it off of his neck. Instantly, Malik felt his energy relax even further, and the voice in his head began to scream in protest. Dakriel relaxed his grip, helping Malik to sit back up, and began talking to him.

"Do you remember anything," he asked.

"I remember what I did, but..."

He wasn't sure how to word what he had done, nor that it was even him that did it. Looking at Dakriel, he cleared his voice and spoke again.

"I don't think it was me that did it. This power I have...it's dangerous."

"I know," Dakriel retorted, "I've been in your shoes, however less extreme mind you. You wanna control that power, you'll come with me, and do exactly as I say."

Malik Nodded, and the four of them followed Dakriel out of the hospital. he demolished room, compared to the hallways they were walking through, seemed to be insignificant in comparison. The walls were demolished, some revealing other rooms, and the hallways were lined with mummified corpses.

Thankfully, Malik hadn't seen any adolescent corpses, and most of them seemed to be doctors and nurses. Some were on the ground, frail and lifeless, while others were molded into the walls. Miniature craters could be seen here and there, most likely places where his power had surged wildly.

They made it out of the hospital, and began walking towards the Pokémon Center. From the outside, the hospital looked completely normal, and Malik guessed that no one had made it out alive, basing his conclusion on the fact that no emergency rescue had arrived. They entered the Pokémon Center, and Malik couldn't help but wonder what they were doing there.

The nurse peeked over the counter, and he and Umbreon attempted, yet again, to surprise Malik. This time, however, it had worked, but not in the way anyone had hoped. They had startled Malik so badly that, given his recent experience, he swung wildly, and punched the nurse right in the face. The nurse got up, angrily grabbing his nose, and Umbreon returned to Malik and began sniffing him curiously.

Umbreon could tell Malik was back to normal, and placed its two front paws on his chest in order to lick his cheek happily. They followed Dakriel over to the phone booths, and that's when he looked at Malik, and spoke.

"Give me your hand," he said in a low voice.

At first Malik was unsure, but Dakriel just nodded at him, and Malik surrendered his right arm. Grabbing his thumb, Dakriel lifted up a false panel on the dial pad, and scanned his thumb. It beeped, and the screen displayed a complete biography of Malik. Finally, Athaliah had learned the basic details of Malik's life.

It showed that he was orphaned at a young age, and had been raised by his older brother. Under his parent's death records, his mother's read 'Illness,' while his father's read 'Homicide.' She looked over at him with a look of slight sadness, and he looked at her with a somewhat saddened face.

Though they had talked many times, he had been hesitant to share the darkest parts of his past with her, or anyone else for that matter. the scan completed, and the screen glowed bright green. As Dakriel closed the false panel, the machine hummed and vibrated loudly, then began to move.

It slid to the right, and revealed a hidden entrance behind it. Without hesitation, all of them entered it. They had walked for some time now, but Dakriel assured them they were getting close. Finally, after about twenty minutes, they reached a large chamber.

In the center of the chamber, there sat a large stone, table, and there were six hooded figures standing around it. They were all ranged differently by their age, but their outfits were particularly similar. Each one was adorned by a violet, hooded cloak, and had a cloth face-mask. Dakriel was also dressed this way the first time he and Malik had met, and Malik guessed that, whatever this cult was, Dakriel must be a member of it.

hey all entered the chamber, but only Malik and Dakriel were allowed to enter the inner circle near the table. Athaliah and Xenos were taken near a stone bench, free to watch what was about to happen next. In unison, along with Dakriel, the violet sages flung their hands in the air.

"Welcome, brothers," the eldest member began, "We have been called, once again, to perform the sacred service of Kiblok."

All of the sages nodded in whatever strange agreement, and Malik felt his energy shifting uncomfortably. The other members of the cult mumbled among themselves, but Malik was starting to feel more and more like he didn't want to be here. They were giving him the creeps, and he had never heard of this 'Kiblok' before.

"Young one, my apprentice tells me you have been struggling with your inner ki, is this true?"

Malik was looking at him, slightly confused at first, and then nodded. He must have refferrd to the insane powers Malik possessed.

"Brothers, as you know, each one of us has within us a mystical power. It is strong, and can be used for good, but left unchecked, it can become dangerous. In extreme cases, like our friend's here, it can take on a personality of its very own."

Once again, they all nodded in unison, but Dakriel was just looking Malik in the eys, and Malik grew ever more confused. He walked over to Malik, and whispered into his ear as quietly as he could.

"They're going to perform a strange ceremony," he began, "Afterwards, you will be unable to use your abilities for some time. Only those who have proven themselves worthy will be able to perform the rites to gain access to their powers again."

Malik felt his heart sink, and although he was grateful for their help, he didn't want his powers locked away completely, after all, they had helped Eevee evolve into a stronger Pokémon. He decided against it, and then he heard the voice again.

"Don't," it said, "Please don't let them hurt me. I was hungry...so...hungry..."

Malik shook his head, and he could feel himself blacking out again. No, he couldn't let this power control him. It was _his_ power, and he would control it no matter what. He stood up, and tried to run out of the chamber, but an invisible force stopped him. He was turned around, and the sages had their arms intertwined, combining their powers to restrain him.

"You cannot leave until the ceremony is complete," said one of the sages.

They began chanting, and the voice in Malik's head was screaming as if it were being burned alive. He didn't want his power to control him, but sealing it away forever wasn't the answer either. Although their power was great, especially with all of them joined, Malik's energy began to rise.

This time, he was in complete control, and he exploded in a glorious array of light. His eyes were glowing white, and his aura was visible to everyone, and was swirling like a fine silk. He was hovering a few inches above the stone table, and as the sages tried to restrain him once more, they were thrown backwards with tremendous energy. Each one slammed into a stone pillar, and now the only person standing in Malik's way was Dakriel, and he wasn't about to move.

"Malik," he shouted over the howling energy, "Listen to me! Without the sages' help, you'll never be able to control your power! Remember what happened at the hospital, well what if that happens again?"

Malik snarled, half insulted at the thought of failure even being a possibility, and attempted to throw him back with his energy. Dakriel countered him with his own, and sighed. He now knew that Malik was far to stubborn to simply accept losing his powers, and he would have to be forced. The battle kicked off in a wild explosion of light and energy.

Both Pokedepts were powerful, with Malik using his white energy, and Xenos using his violet energy, and they were using an intense level of power. They both rushed forward, flourishing and clashing wildly, and energy struck out left and right. Malik's training, it seemed, was similar to Dakriel's, and they were almost evenly matched. Suddenly, Dakriel's energy began depleting, and Malik heard that voice again.

"So yummy," it cried, "Yes! Feed me more of that delicious energy!"

Malik grabbed Dakriel by the arms, and began to sap all of his dark power from him. Dakriel quickly grew weak, and Malik had him downed in a matter of seconds. With Xenos and Athaliah both watching in shock, Malik kicked Dakriel hard enough to knock him unconscious, and he ran out of the chamber.

As they chased after him, Malik returned to normal, and headed for the gym. He had taken his first steps toward controlling his powers, and shaping his true future. Something caught him off guard however, and he found himself bombarded with flash-backs.


	19. Chapter 19

Ch. 19: The Boy And The Dragon

Absorbing Dakriel's life force had given Malik his memories, but unlike the others, Malik couldn't repress these memories. He sat down, and as Athaliah and Xenos sat down with him, wondering what was wrong, he was forced to relive the memories.

He was running through a thick forest, and a dragon Pokémon was screaming in the air just behind him. One blast after another crashed down around him, and he narrowly dodged multiple times. He had finally arrived at his destination, and was trying to open the front door of the house in a panic. He hadn't made it in time, and turned around to face the black-scaled Raquaza.

It began swirling in place, and remained stationary in the air in front of him. His view zoomed from first-person to third-person, and he could see himself. It wasn't Malik, however, but a boy with lavender-colored hair. As the black dragon charged yet another beam, the boy began glowing violently with violet energy, and his eyes glowed the way Malik's had done before.

As the legendary Pokémon fired its powerful hyper beam at the boy, his energy formed an invisible force field around him, and the beam was redirected. Large portions of the beam had been deflected behind him, however, and destroyed the house with devastating force. As the Pokémon fled from the boy, his energy returned to normal, but he was too late.

He fell to his knees, and began crying, and Malik could feel that someone close to him had still been inside. The memory flashed forward to a few days later, and two adult-sized coffins were being lowered into the ground. He was crying even harder than he had on the day they perished, and his energy was flaring intensely.

At first, no one seemed to notice the violet energy rising from the boy like smoke, but then he exploded with energy. It was flaring intensely, and everyone began running away from him. Everyone, that is, except for a distant relative of his. As the rest of his family fled in a panic, the older man just watched as his energy was unleashed.

The chairs and other miscellaneous things around the boy began to swirl in a vortex of energy, and he was now hovering. The elderly man approached him calmly, and the energy didn't seem to be affecting him. Without speaking, and as the boy seemed to be glaring at him through the flaring power, the old man placed his thumb on the boy's third eye, and he fell unconscious.

Flashing forward once again, the boy was in the chamber that Malik had just left moments ago. They were performing the ceremony, chanting and absorbing his energy, and the boy's power was leaving him. The memories began flashing, and Malik saw the boy grow from a weak and defenseless child, into a fully realized warrior.

Malik now realized that the boy had, in fact, been Dakriel, and at the age of about sixteen, Dakriel's power had been purified and restored to him. They named him the Hunter, and he was sent to scour the land for other Pokedepts, as the elders called them. This word had been coined as their name for those with hidden powers like theirs, and Dakriel gladly accepted his calling.

When Malik came to his senses a few hours later, Athaliah was next to him and Umbreon, and she told him that Xenos had gone to the store to restock on supplies. He explained everything to her, starting with his parent's deaths, and then explained his abilities to her. When he told her about the voice, and his power trying to control him, the look of slight fear she had for him dimmed down some.

He wasn't sure how, but he felt that if the sages could master this power multiple times, he could do it himself at least once, and he swore to her that he would learn how to. Malik relaxed himself, and Athaliah was now looking into his eyes, blushing slightly.

He looked up at her, and although he wasn't sure why, he just grabbed her neck and kissed her again. The kiss was passionate, and her moist tongue felt smooth against his. Her lips were caressing his softly, and a tear escaped his eyes. She grabbed his hand softly, and held him close to her, listening to his heart-beat.

They sat like that for a little while, and Xenos had just recently came barreling over with a few bags of items. He had grabbed some useful potions, some food, and even more various poke balls. Then he pulled out a few curious items, and Malik grew suspicious.

As he sat down, he revealed a fire stone from a black bag he was holding, and was looking down at it with a glint in his eyes. Malik was looking over, and thought for a moment. That's right, he had Growlithe with him! Was he really going to make it evolve, and what if it didn't want to?

"This is it," he said, "If my brother wants to play the evolution game, so be it."

He reached into the bag once again, and revealed a second stone. He was now holding a glowing, red fire stone, and a bright yellow thunder stone, and had one in each hand. His eyes glinted as he looked down at them, and Malik and Athaliah watched in slight anticipation to see what would happen.

Xenos called out his Growlithe and Pikachu, and showed them their respective stones. Pikachu reacted by sniffing it curiously, however Growlithe knew exactly what it was, and swallowed the stone whole. Xenos jerked his hand back in surprise, and Growlithe began to glow brightly.

As soon as Growlithe began evolving, Pikachu finally understood, and twitched its ears, debating if it wanted to evolve or not. Growlithe was changing drastically, and grew even larger, with large patches of fur covering its legs and muzzle, and its fur grew darker than before into a deep orange color. Roaring proudly, Xenos' Arcanine was a sight to behold, and although it wasn't quite as tall as his brother's, Xenos could feel that it was much more powerful.

Pikachu cheered happily, and grabbed the stone in excitement. Xenos smiled, and watched as his Pikachu began to change as well. The small, electric mouse grew taller, and its tail extended and became thin, boasting a large, bolt-shaped appendage on the end. Its bright-yellow coat of fur had turned a dark orange, and the brown stripes grew darker as well. The red patches on its cheeks turned yellow, and it stopped glowing.

His Raichu and Arcanine were now proudly standing in front of him, and he cheered happily, jumping out of his seat triumphantly. Malik and Athaliah just laughed, and as Xenos called back his Pokémon, a familiar figure approached them. Malik recognized Dakriel's energy, and stood up immediately.

Malik could feel his rival's power rising, and he could tell he hadn't come to talk things out. He looked at Xenos and Athaliah, who nodded and went to get help. Dakriel tried to stop them, but Malik was blocking his power with his own energy. Dakriel just smirked, and began to challenge Malik with his energy.

"You've seen my past, I assume, and I can see in your eyes that you know I won't back down."

"I'm sorry for the burdens you carry," Malik replied, "but this burden is mine to bear, and I won't let you take it from me! I never will!"

He clenched his fists, and his entire body pulsated with his energy. His muscles were flexing, and he exploded with white, swirling energy. The pain was so intense that he was screaming, but he kept pushing it, and he felt the ground shaking under him. Dakriel accepted the challenge, and began to power up as well. It seemed that an earthquake had struck Vermillion city, but it was merely that their energy had caused tremors all around them.

Dashing swiftly, the two Pokedepts clashed fists, and moved with incredible speed. Blocking and dodging each other's punches and kicks, they battled more fiercely than anyone had ever seen. Malik was in full control, but he felt himself slipping, and the voice was back.

"Let me kill him," it pleaded, "Please...let me kill..."

Malik shrugged it off, ignoring it completely, and fought even harder. He finally got his opening, blocking a right hook, and punched Dakriel hard with an energy-infused punch. In a blast of energy, Dakriel went flying back, and crashed into a nearby building. The wall collapsed down on him, and as Malik ran over to help him, the people inside the diner had began to panic.

Xenos and Athaliah had brought two police officers with them, and as Malik was pulling the large pieces of rubble from Dakriel, they ran over to help him. Malik had explained what happened, leaving out the part about their powers, and Dakriel was arrested on the spot.

Malik, Xenos, Athaliah, and Umbreon watched as he was taken into the ambulance in cuffs, and Malik noticed his injuries. He had a a massive gash on his forehead, and cuts and bruises could be seen through his ripped shirt, and around his face. As soon as the ambulance took off, they made their way to the gym, and both Malik and Xenos were ready to get yet another badge.


	20. Chapter 20

_**Ch. 20: Power Surge**_

As Athaliah made her way to the bleachers to watch, Malik and Xenos both entered the electric gym of Vermillion City. This was the first Malik or Xenos had ever seen of a registration table at a gym. The clerk looked up at them smiling, and asked for their names. She explained that, because there were two of them, the rules demanded they both battle together and use only two Pokémon each.

They agreed, and while jotting down their names, they also included the names of the Pokémon they would be using. Malik chose to use Umbreon and Abra, while Xenos chose Arcanine and Combusken. They clasped hands, smirking, and their friendship finally seemed to be molding into a solid bond of trust. As they entered the arena, the lights powered on, revealing impressively large conductors, and both Malik and Xenos were now wishing they had chosen an electric Pokémon to fight with.

Suddenly, the lights dimmed slightly, focusing on the far end of the gym, and a military marching tune began flaring in the air around them. A large, film-sized screen slowly lowered into the mid-air of the open space, and a video of Lt. Surge began playing. The video gave a brief history of the famous electric gym leader, and then was ended with an introduction of his daughter: Sage.

The platform had already lowered, with Sage storming across the battle field and releasing her Pokémon, and Malik and Xenos had little time to send out their own. First up were Malik's Abra and Xenos' Combusken against the electric-blonde gym leader's Pikachu and Luxray. As the Pokémon braced themselves for battle, the gym fell with a silence like no other, and then she spoke:

"Welcome to my gym," Sage began, "I am Sage, the electric gym leader of Vermillion City, and the proud daughter of the famous Lt. Surge."

Athaliah sarcastically clapped from the bleachers, and Sage shot her a nasty glare. Malik and Xenos chuckled slightly, and almost in unison, they both shouted: "Go!"

Xenos' Combusken rushed in, along with the other two Pokémon, however Abra remained still. Combusken hit first, striking the Pikachu hard with a powerful double-kick, but Pikachu returned the attack with a powerful bolt of electricity. The electricity ricocheted off of the conductors, and the bolts were amplified. Combusken had been completely caught off guard, and went flying back at Xenos.

"We were right, Malik," Xenos declared, "Those pillars are used to amplify their electric attacks. Make sure they don't get the chance to use them."

Malik nodded, and as the Luxray began to rush at Abra, Malik tried to connect with him using his powers. He closed his eyes, and almost caught the connection, but something was wrong. Luxray lunged, flooding its dark-blue coat with electricity, and was about to crash into Abra hard. Malik growled, and gave up on using his abilities for now. He called out for Abra to attack, and as its tail twitched ever so slightly, the Luxray was stopped in mid-air.

Xenos' Combusken got back up, and as the Pikachu was gathering its energy for yet another attack, Xenos commanded Combusken to attack the pillars. Combusken darted forward, and as it dodged one electric attack after another, it began kicking and burning the conductors left and right. At the end of the onslaught, it had destroyed at least half of the pillars, and Combusken had Pikachu cornered.

Abra, having caught the Luxray in a warp of psychic energy, began tossing it up and down in the air, and Malik realized it was toying with the electric cat. The Luxray began to build up its rage, and Malik quickly commanded Abra to finish it off. Abra's eyes opened, and it turned its head from side to side, slamming Luxray into the amplifiers. Luxray began roaring in a mix of pain and rage, and fired a large stream of electricity at Abra.

Sage's Pikachu was well trained, and it had been dodging almost all of Combusken's attacks with ease, and even managing a slam here or there on the large, chicken-like Pokémon. However, Combusken's fighting skills were too great, and it finally landed a powerful kick on the Pikachu. Pikachu was slammed onto the ground hard from mid-air, and Combusken quickly shot a large burst of flames from its beak. The Pikachu cried out in pain, and Sage was forced to call it back.

The electric attack was hurtling at Abra with tremendous speed; however Abra was in full control of the situation. Not only did Abra manage to stop the attack, but it redirected it back at the Luxray, and Luxray was hit hard. Abra raised its arms, seemingly in a frustrated anger, and Luxray cried out one last time as it was slammed down extremely hard. Sage was forced to call back her second Pokémon, and was scowling.

She wasn't upset that she was losing, but rather, she was more upset at the damaged gym. Athaliah had begun cheering about half way through the battle, and again Sage glared. This time, however, Athaliah was jumping up and down, flipping the gym leader off and cheering for Malik and Xenos. Sage snarled, and sent out her next two Pokémon.

Malik's Abra hadn't calmed down, and as Sage's Electivire and Ampharos came roaring out in an electrical shockwave, Abra and Combusken wasted no time in attacking. Combusken rushed forward, and began a swift battle with the foe's Ampharos. Meanwhile, Electivire was staring down Malik's Abra, who had once again begun to flare with powerful psychic energy.

"Hey Malik," Xenos shouted in mid-battle, "remember that time we battled in the forest, and your Pokémon evolved? Well, right now I'm getting the worst case of déjà vu!"

Malik had also noticed it, and as Abra redirected the Electivire's attacks left and right with ease, it was painfully obvious that it was in prime condition to evolve. The Electivire charged forward, and as it grabbed Abra, it began to electrocute it. The attack was powerful, but didn't seem to be affecting Abra; in fact, it seemed that Abra was absorbing the energy. As Electivire continued its assault, Abra began to glow.

Meanwhile, Xenos' Combusken seemed to be struggling against the Ampharos, and it looked as though it was about to pass out from exhaustion. Reluctantly, Xenos withdrew it, but then a wide grin fell across his face. He threw out his poke ball, and Arcanine came roaring out. However, instead of attacking, it just stood in place spouting flames, and everyone got the impression it was just showing off.

The Ampharos rushed forward, and slammed into Arcanine as hard as it could, but it had no effect. Arcanine stopped showing off, and was glaring down at the electric Pokémon with an intense rage. The Ampharos grew nervous, and began to walk backwards. However, before it had the chance to run, Arcanine rushed forward, imbuing its front-right paw with fire, and smacked the Ampharos so hard that it went flying sideways, and crashed into the far wall of the bleachers.

The bleachers shook, and Athaliah's entire body was jolted upwards. Her shirt held no support for her chest, and for a moment, Malik saw them fly out of her shirt and smiled. She blushed, and panicked as she tried to readjust herself. She sulked, and Malik returned his gaze to his evolving Abra, who was still absorbing the powerful energy attacks from Electivire.

Abra's form changed from the small, fox-like body into a more humanoid form. Its arms grew slender, and its legs did the same. Its armor grew to match that of its body, and its tail grew incredibly thick and bushy, swirling out behind it. It took one, small piece of steel from the battle field, and began to mold it with its psychic energy, forming a spoon.

As the glowing stopped, Malik could see it had retained its rare, bright gold fur, and pinkish, armor-like coverings. Kadabra's eyes were still glowing deep blue, and the Electivire was instantaneously lifted into the air. Kadabra had kept the rage it had felt from earlier, and used it to amplify its power. Malik and Xenos watched closely, and as the Kadabra's spoon bent, and the Electivire went flying, crashing hard into Ampharos.

Both electric-type Pokémon were still getting back up, and Arcanine was still rushing towards the Ampharos in its rage. Laying down the final blow, Arcanine fired a massive, star-shaped blast of flames. Both Electivire and Ampharos were hit hard, and being scorched. Sage screamed in frustration, and withdrew her Pokémon. Athaliah cheered loudly in the background, and Xenos and Malik were high-fiving each other in triumph. However, Sage began talking, once again:

"Hold on a minute," she demanded, "I've got one more Pokémon to use, if you think you can handle it?"

"Hey," Athaliah called down from the bleachers, "That's not fair, they beat you fair-and-square!"

Malik and Xenos just smirked, and Xenos piped in:

"Just _one _Pokémon," he said with an incredulous tone, "Fine then, send out your Pokémon, we can take whatever you've got!"

The gym leader smirked, and sent out her Manectric. It was different, and Malik once again saw that it was what the tabloids referred to as a _shiny Pokémon. _Its skin was black, instead of the usual electric-blue, and the normally-yellow scones covering its body were a golden color. Malik wasn't concerned, however, after all he still had both of his Pokémon, and he was sure Arcanine and Kadabra would be more than a match for her lone Pokémon.

Arcanine rushed forward, drawing on its fiery breath, but the Manectric merely looked at it, and a powerful shock was fired into the legendary dog before it had a chance to react. It was downed instantly, and as it struggled to get up, the Manectric continued its assault. Sage merely smirked, and was enjoying the show. Malik growled slightly, and commanded Kadabra to finish this battle off as he knew it could.

Though Kadabra was showing signs of stubbornness, Malik's praise of its skills had given it the confidence it needed, and it immediately blocked Manectric's attacks. Though Kadabra was indeed powerful, however, all of its strength was being used to hold back Manectric's power. Arcanine was still struggling to get up, and Xenos was searching through his bag franticly.

"Where the hell is it," he shouted, and finally revealed a super potion from his pack.

He ran over to Arcanine, and sprayed the potion on its ribs, in the area where the electric shocks had ravaged it. Arcanine was slow to get up at first, but it roared majestically, and ran towards the Manectric angrily. Manectric turned, and Kadabra seized its opportunity. As it began to charge its power once again, Kadabra charged its own psychic energy.

All at once, Arcanine fired another powerful beam of flames from its mouth, and the Manectric did the same with its electric energy. Kadabra flared intensely, and the electric attack was redirected back towards the Manectric. Unable to avoid the attacks, the Manectric was hit hard, both being burned _and_ electrocuted, and began to stagger. At first, it seemed that it still had some fight left in it, but then it collapsed, dropping to the ground limply.

The gym leader called back her last Pokémon, and looked down in sadness. Athaliah was once again cheering in excitement, and Sage reluctantly held out her hand, and revealed two thunder Badges. Malik and Xenos took them gladly, then Xenos attempted to cheer her up with a few soothing words.

"Well, don't feel too bad," he said proudly, "It's not every day that someone gets that close to defeating me and Malik here, even if we are only using two of our Pokémon."

"I'm not crying, you idiot," she shouted angrily, "I'm bowing in respect! You have trained your Pokémon well, and as such you have truly defeated me and earned these badges! Now stop acting like an ass, and leave my gym in peace!"

Xenos shrugged, and Malik just laughed and shook his head. They made it out of the gym easily, and as the three of them headed for the next town, Malik couldn't help but feel that things were finally starting to look up for him. But the future grows ever darker, and though neither of them knew it, a storm was brewing.

Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Dakriel awoke handcuffed to a steel stretcher. He had just enough room to walk to the toilet that was only a few feet away. They had put him in a medical gown, and left only the amulet on his neck. He got up, and went to try to wash his face off.

He noticed the stitches on his forehead where the gash had been, and luckily, he hadn't suffered any memory loss. The problem was that he couldn't access his abilities as well as before. Splashing water on his face with his free hand, he looked into the mirror and saw his uncle. He jolted around, but alas he saw no one there.

He glared, and as he turned back around, the Crimson Jewel was standing adjacent to him near the window. He glared, and though he tried, he couldn't read her soul. His abilities had been severely crippled by the fallen wall that he-that he had been punched into. She stepped towards him, and began to speak.

"Looks like you've been making quite a racket, Dakriel," she said in a silky-smooth voice.

"Who are you," he demanded in a growling voice, "and how do you know my name?"

"Dear brother, after all this time apart, you mean to tell me you really don't recognize me?"

His eyes grew wide, and the flashback of the legendary dragon destroying his home flashed through his mind. He shook it off, and then glared at her.

"Impossible," he said, "my family perished in a fire. I watched them die with my own eyes!"

"As did I," she replied, "I was there when Raquaza attacked you, and destroyed our home. It seems I'm not the only one with these abilities, now am I?"

She grinned, and they escaped from the hospital together. Together, they shared their stories, and everything they had learned, and together, they would save this world from the threat of those individuals who sought to enslave Pokémon with their powers, and take those powers for their own.


	21. Chapter 21

_**Ch. 21: Memory Lane**_

The trio had made a quick trip to the nearby Pokémon Center, and as their Pokémon were being recovered, Malik couldn't help but feel a sense of impending danger. Umbreon had sat by his side, and it seemed the Pokémon and its master was in sync emotionally. Although Malik had gained a good amount of control over his abilities, the problem was that he was now having trouble using them at all. He had first noticed it in the gym battle with Sage, and recalled his powers almost rejecting his attempt to use them.

Umbreon looked up at him, sniffing the air curiously, and drifted off to sleep. Though Malik could only slightly sense it, Umbreon's dreams were enlightening. Umbreon had only been with Malik a short time, but their journey thus far had proven to Umbreon just how valuable Malik was to have. He showed signs of character beyond his skill and knowledge, and it translated into all his Pokémon, not just Umbreon. It twitched its tail rapidly, following the dream.

They were at the peak of a strange mountain, and there were legendary Pokémon battling. Umbreon had never seen them before, but it could feel their psychic power. Malik had lost track of the others, and it was just him and his Pokémon. The world was falling apart from the battle, and it was up to Malik to cease the fighting. Umbreon rushed into battle, just as a tall, purple Pokémon approached, and used its night slash ability.

The Pokémon's psychic powers were strong, but it was no match for Umbreon's dark power. It merely defied the energy fluxuations, and rushed forward, slamming into the Pokémon hard. It was knocked back, but then another Pokémon was approaching. This one looked similar to the first, but it was smaller, and pink. It was cat-like, with a long tail and the sound it made was distinctly cat-like as well.

It fired a massive wave of psychic energy, which was in the form of a ball, at the other Pokémon. They continued to battle, but Umbreon's might combined with the power of the Mew proved to be too much, and the other Pokémon fled.

A bell rang, and as Umbreon's friends, Kadabra, Houndoom, Scyther, and Elekid were returned to Malik, it woke up. If only Malik had control of his powers, then Umbreon could just tell him about the dream. Umbreon knew it would take time, and the only other thing on its mind was Xenos' Espeon. She was so elusive, yet it seemed that she too felt the same way Umbreon did.

Malik hadn't been able to sleep the night before, but not for fear of his Pokémon's health. The voice had been pestering him all night, and though she hadn't yet told him, Athaliah had noticed darkness settling around his eyes. The voice had chanted the things it always did, which consisted either of craving energy, or even wanting to kill. Malik wasn't going to give in, however, even if he never slept again.

"Alright guys," Xenos declared, breaking everyone's train of thought, "Looks like if we wait until tomorrow morning, we can take a ferry out to Cinnabar Island, where Malik and myself will acquire our Volcano Badges."

"Tomorrow morning," Athaliah asked curiously, "Well then it sounds like we just need to find something productive to do until then."

"Actually," Malik chimed in, "I saw a field on the other side of the city in a dream, and I've wanted to check it out for awhile now."

After a short debate, they opted to go with Malik's instincts. After all, they had nothing better to do, and he assured them it would take no longer than a day to explore. Aside from Umbreon, the others remained suspicious; after all they weren't sure if Malik's instincts could be trusted.

Meanwhile, in a hotel not far from the Cinnabar Gym, Dakriel and the Crimson Jewel were sitting together in the room he had rented under the name 'James Scott.' It wasn't the cleverest name, but it didn't need to be. The alias had served its purpose well, and they began trying to tap into Dakriel's powers. The gash on his head had severely damaged his connection to the greater aspects of his powers, and it seemed without the amulet, he wouldn't have a chance.

She took off her mask, and Dakriel saw the burn scars on her face. Until now, she had been using her powers to hide them, but he now saw what she really looked like. He reached a hand up to touch her, but she turned away.

"How did this happen," he asked in a saddened voice.

"It was at a day care," she said, and she began to explain.

There the girl sat, quiet and alone. The elderly couple at the day care center had found her all alone, crying, and took her in. She was strange, at first, and the couple grew concerned, however she was excellent with the Pokémon the trainers left at the center. As the years passed, however, she began to show signs of a power that no one could understand.

Many visitors to the day care told of seeing a strange little girl, but she had used illusions to trick them into taking the wrong Pokémon back, and the trainers would then release the Pokémon in anger or frustration. One day, a trainer returned, and took his actual Pokémon back, and the girl became enraged.

Her energy had grown to a vastly dangerous level, and in a panic, the couple and the trainer fled. Not long after, the day care was set ablaze, and the girl set all of the remaining Pokémon free, or so she thought. Little did she know, one Pokémon had remained, having slept through most of the day.

The Eevee awoke to the rising flames of the day care, and as it fled in fear, it found itself trapped. The girl had sensed its fear, and when she discovered a Pokémon, she ran in to save it. He Pokémon had made it out safely, and the girl saw a Pokémon Professor take the Pokémon immediately. Smiling, the girl turned to try and find a way out, but there was none. Every corner she rounded seemed to be blocked off by falling debris of some kind, and she was trapped.

She couldn't explain why she had survived, but when she awoke in the hospital a day later, her entire body was covered in scars and burns. When she was finally able to walk, and saw herself in the mirror, she began crying. For the next week or so, she sat alone, contemplating suicide, but then something snapped.

She didn't want to feel responsible, and in her anger, she came to a different conclusion. None of this would've happened if those Pokémon could've stayed with her where they were happy, right? So, on that day, she swore that she would free all Pokémon, no matter the cost. Although she hadn't practiced using her powers long, it was obvious that she was already skilled. Looking into the mirror, she remembered what her face had looked like before, and altered her appearance using her talent with illusions.

"Doctor, come quick, it's a miracle," one of the nurses said as they burst out of the room after seeing the girl's new face.

However, before the doctor could check on the girl, she was gone. She had slipped past them, again using her powers, by making herself invisible to them. From there her story consisted of little more than befriending her Pokémon, and even capturing some. She had promised to release them, however, once she had eradicated every selfish trainer in the world.

Back with the trio, Malik, Xenos, and Athaliah were walking through a forest, and it seemed that it had remained untouched by humans at all. They were following Malik and Umbreon, who both seemed to know exactly where they were going. After walking for a few hours, they came across a clearing, and in its center stood the statue of an ancient Pokémon. Umbreon recognized it from its dream, but Malik remained oblivious, and reached over to touch it.

Umbreon jumped at his arm to stop him, but it was already too late. Aside from Malik and Umbreon, everything seemed to freeze instantly, and became motionless. Malik wasn't sure what was going on, and as he removed his hand from the statue, everything remained still. He looked down, and noticed some writing on the statue that was slightly worn and covered with dust.

"Take a look at this, Umbreon," he said, and wiped away the dust and cobwebs.

He looked at the writing for a moment, and instantly recognized it from his studies. It was a species of Pokémon that resembled letters, and was originally discovered in the Johto region. He looked down at Umbreon, but then read it aloud:

"Beware travelers, this ground is protected by mythical power. Should you disrupt our sacred ground, you will suffer the consequences. Should you succeed in our tests, you will be returned to your time, but should you fail, time will fast forward, and you will be sent into oblivion…"

Malik tried to read the rest, but it was too ancient to understand. He looked down at Umbreon and shrugged, but the ground began to shake rapidly. As Malik and Umbreon gained their footing once more, a spray of light was sent out from a door way that seemed to open out of nowhere.

"Well," Malik said as he began to step forward, "Looks like we don't have a choice."

Umbreon simply sighs, and then bit Malik's leg hard, and seemed to be scolding him. Malik was released, and they both walked into the doorway. Malik was familiar with the feeling of being teleported, but this was slightly different. Malik and Umbreon were traveling through time, and Malik had a feeling he knew where they were heading.

The doorway had transported them to the alley-way where Malik's father had died, however it was a few years after the event. Fakir was standing in the alley-way, and he had left flowers on the pavement where their father had perished. Fakir began speaking, and Malik couldn't believe what he was hearing:

"I'm sorry father, but I can no longer handle my powers. I know Malik is still too young to understand them yet, but as for me…" he paused, and Malik heard him crying a little, "I can't bear this burden any longer."

He placed his hand on the ground, and all his power streamed into the Earth. The buildings around him shook, and the ground trembled softly, and Malik felt that his brother's powers were gone. The vision faded, and Malik and Umbreon were flashing forward once again. This time they were at the day care, watching all that had occurred from outside. Malik had no idea what was going on, but Umbreon was running forward, and dashed into the flames of the day care center.

Malik chased after him, and they were both inside. The fire wasn't hot at all, and they could breathe normally. That's when Malik knew it was only an illusion, and he watched as Umbreon trotted into a room to the right. Malik was confused, and his eyes widened as Eevee came running around the corner, sliding as it rounded the corner hard. Umbreon came barreling after it, and Malik now understood whose memory this was.

Suddenly, a girl a few years older than Malik sprinted through him from behind, and grabbed the Eevee quickly. Malik and Umbreon followed the girl out, and Malik watched as she sent the Eevee out to Professor Oak. Malik looked down at Umbreon, who nodded at him, but when he looked around again, the girl was gone. They were sent back to the statue Malik had accidentally activated, but the text that he couldn't read before was glowing brightly.

He read it aloud to Umbreon:

"Find peace, oh traveler, for only on with a courageous heart, and the bond of life, can survive the test, and will be returned home."

Malik watched as the glowing words swirled, seemingly blowing away in the wind, and everything began to move normally again. The statue began to shake and spin, and as it did so, it seemed Xenos and Athaliah had been absent from the recent events, and it was as if Malik and Umbreon hadn't gone anywhere. The statue revealed a hidden stair well, and all four of them made their way down. Malik and Umbreon were prepared for whatever challenges they faced, and together, Malik knew he would achieve his goals.


	22. Chapter 22

_**Ch. 22: Dragon's Cove**_

Though the group had expected this hidden lair to be old, they had not anticipated the smell of rotting flesh and decay that filled their noses, and the sight of rotting, mummified corpses didn't help to ease their minds. Both Athaliah and Xenos let out a shudder, and neither could even believe what they were seeing. One by one, the corpses lined the wall, with slashes and claw marks ever embedded into their ribs and skulls. Evidence of flesh being ripped from bones by teeth could be seen in large bite marks around the corpses, and the sight of these and more corpses, including some Pokémon, filled the walls that followed the spiral stairs ever downward.

"We shouldn't be here," Athaliah said in a shaky voice, "What if we end up like all these people?"

"Calm yourself," Xenos said in a deep voice, "I don't like this place either, but even if we wanted to, we wouldn't be able to go back the way we came."

They all looked back, noticing that the entrance had sealed itself permanently, but Malik simply continued walking. He knew that this must have been the test that the Unkown had spoken of in their written warning, and Umbreon remained at its master's side. Athaliah and Xenos hadn't noticed Malik walking ahead of them, and ran to catch up in a hurry. They came to a sealed wall, and Malik examined it for a brief moment.

To the naked eye, there was nothing to be seen, but both Malik and Umbreon had sensed an energy beyond this wall. Malik began to focus on his power, channeling it to his eye sight, and glanced at the wall. As he placed his hand onto it, he glowed with white energy, and Athaliah watched in astonishment as Malik lit the dark corridor with intense light.

"Great," Xenos said impatiently, "Trapped in an ancient temple cave, and our only comfort is the glowing fool who brought us here in the first place. I'm so glad we decided to follow Malik and his instincts."

"Patience," Athaliah scolded, "Malik knows what he's doing, you should have more faith in our friends."

She watched Malik, a warm feeling filling her chest, and Xenos just rolled his eyes. Though neither Malik nor Athaliah had spoken of their love out loud, it was obvious in the way they looked at each other. They were rarely parted from each other, and Xenos found himself often being sent for supplies, conveniently leaving the two of them alone for at least a couple of hours.

"Well I certainly hope he does," Xenos spoke a moment later, "I don't want to end up food for whatever beast devoured these poor fools."

The wall began to rumble under Malik's palm, and Umbreon took a few steps back. Malik finally removed his hands, and as he stepped back, his energy flared wildly. His hands were glowing even brighter than the rest of his body now, and he thrust his fist at the wall with all of his might. The wall only cracked at first, and Xenos just sighed, but then the rumbling continued.

Blood could be seen spilling from Malik's knuckles, and it was even easier to see as the energy faded from his hand. From under his left side, he sent the other hand crashing into the wall with equal force, and hit the same crack the first blow had delivered. Again, the energy could be seen leaving his hands, and blood trickled down his arms from his broken hands.

"Well that worked out great didn't it," Xenos said in a sarcastically annoyed tone.

Malik was still entranced, his eyes glowing, and no one had noticed that his legs were glowing just as his arms had done moments ago. He kicked out hard, and as the wall began to quake violently, and cracks tore from all directions, the wall burst under the power of his black boot. The energy settled, and Malik looked over at Xenos smirking.

"Well it's about time," Xenos said in a sulking tone, "I was starting to sprout grey hairs."

"Oh shut up," Athaliah burst out in an annoyed voice, "I'm going deaf from your mindless complaining."

Once again, Malik had already began to walk ahead, and Xenos and Athaliah were running to catch up to him. They were now walking through a darkened cave, but the venture was short lived as they came into a clearing. As they all looked on in astonishment, Umbreon began to growl defensively, and its rings glowed with bright blue energy.

Malik looked down, but he still had no connection to his Pokémon's energy. The scene before their eyes was magnificent, and Malik had known why this place had been kept safe from humans now. Dragon Pokémon flourished everywhere, and the oasis was majestic in itself. Fruits and berries yet undiscovered were beng yielded from the plant life scattered about, and the water was a deep blue.

Malik felt a swelling in his chest, but immediately noticed something strange. A Dragonite roared overhead, and Malik saw dark orange stripes around its back and sides. This was strange to him, but he guessed it was merely an adaptation to their environment. They were still underground, but the cave was lit brightly by large, glowing crystals at the cave of the roof.

"Wow," said Athaliah in a gasping voice, "Look at all the dragon Pokémon! They're so pretty, and cute!"

"Calm your senses," Xenos scolded, "They're the élite of all Pokémon, and cute is the least of what they are."

"Both of you shut up," Malik hissed in a whisper, "Something's happening down there, look."

Malik pointed down towards the water, and as Xenos and Athaliah watched, the dragon Pokémon gathered around a group of nests. The eggs were massive, and judging from the size, Malik guessed the eggs were as large as the bags on his and the other's backs. One by one, the eggs cracked and shook, and one by one, baby dragon Pokémon burst from the eggs. Dratinis, Bagons, and even Gibles wiggled their way to the sands beneath their feet.

Athaliah let out a high-pitched squeal, and began to run down towards the hatchlings. Malik quickly made his way towards her, and tackled her just in time to avoid an attack by a passing dragon. The rest of the dragons glared up at them, and they all began to fly up towards them at full speed.

"Oh shit," Xenos said, "Guys, we should run...Now!"

Malik picked Athaliah up, and they ran back towards the cave they had emerged from. They were too late, however, and a massive beam of energy hit the cave hard, sealing it off. They turned around to run the other way, but after a few steps, a massive dragon stood in their way. It was the Dragonite Malik had seen before, and Malik glared at Athaliah in frustration.

"Halt humans," the voice had come from the dragon Pokémon, but its mouth hadn't moved, "what is your business here?"

Malik stepped forward, and as the others watched in shock, Malik spoke:

"I am Malik, and I have come in response to a challenge from Mewtwo's statue."

"Your tone spills confidence, but you lack what is required to survive. You would perish," the dragon responded, "Turn now from your path, and you will live to tell of this journey."

"I'm not going anywhere," Malik snarled and glared up at the dragon, "and I damn sure won't take commands from a Pokémon."

"Malik, don't," Xenos began, but was cut off by a horrifying sight.

The Dragonte's tail crashed into Malik hard, and as he was flung off the cliff, blood spewed from his mouth. The dragon stepped forward, preparing to strike at Athaliah, but Xenos stepped in its way, and sent out his Espeon.

"You dare challenge me with such a meager Pokémon," the dragon said incredulously, "Very well, we shall feast on you both as well."

The tail once again lashed out, but as Espeon avoided the attack, Xenos jumped back as well. Espeon's eyes glowed brightly, and the dragon was lifted off the ground, writhing in pain. As Espeon landed, Dragonite was flung backwards with intense force, and rocks crumbled down on it. Xenos smirked, and Espeon began to growl aggressively.

Malik had managed to catch a lucky break, and was hanging on to a root protruding from the cliff wall. He wasn't sure how long he could last, however, mostly because of the massive wave of dragon Pokémon spiralling up towards him in a thick cloud of rage. The water below looked deep, and he knew if he stayed where he was, he would be killed. After a moment, he willed himself to let go, and plummeted down to the depths.

The Dragonite was roaring with a violent rage, and rushed at Espeon with incredible speed. With a powerful burst of energy, Espeon was sent upwards from a blast from the hyper beam. Xenos rushed forward, and caught Espeon just in time. He avoided the attack from the dragon's tail once again, and sent out Arcanine.

The water had been colder than Malik had anticipated when he crashed into it, but he had survived the fall. His body was aching in pain, and screamed for warmth, but he refused to surface. He swam for the shore towards the nesting ground, and was hoping that, were he close enough to the eggs, the dragon Pokémon would not attack him.

"Foolish child, do you not see that I am superior," the dragon shouted, "You cannot win this battle!"

"Then I will die trying! Arcanine, blast it with all your power!"

Arcanine roared, and the entire cave quaked violently. Rushing forward, Dragonite lashed out at the legendary dog with its tail, but Arcanine was faster. A massive, star-shaped blast of flames was sent hurtling down at the dragon. Hitting it hard, Dragonite was burnt on its legs and arms, and now struggled to get up.

"What's wrong," Xenos boasted, "I thought you were superior to me and my Pokémon? You can't even handle a fire blast from my Arcanine here."

Arcanine proudly huffed a small ember to the side, but the dragon got back up. Its eyes were flaring with a powerful rage, and it roared loudly, gathering energy in its mouth for a hyper beam. Arcanine roared as well, and fire was building in its mouth, matching the hyper beam's energy and then ascending past it.

Both Pokemon's blasts tore through the air, and with a massive explosion of power, collided violently. At first, the dragon's hyper beam was successful, pushing back the flames, but then Arcanine's eyes glowed red. The flames over powered the Dragonite's attack in seconds, and the dragon was engulfed in flames. Arcanine stepped forward, continuing its assault, and Xenos was cheering loudly as the dragon went down.

"Stop it," Athaliah cried out loud as her eyes were filled with tears, "Its down, you've won, so stop it!"

Xenos looked back in slight confusion, then called back Arcanine. He walked over towards her, but she shoved past him, and ran down the trail that led to the den. Umbreon was by her side, but then rushed past her. The dragons that were guarding the nest glared down at Umbreon, but it stood its ground. Umbreon began to glow, and as it swelled with dark energy, the dragons rushed forward.

One by one, they attacked violently, but Umbreon was fast and powerful. Two Dragonairs lunged forward, and as their attack missed, they became entangled and went down hard. Umbreon fired a shadow ball from above, and rushed forward, slamming into a Hydreigon hard. Its heads roared, and gathered energy, and just as Umbreon jumped up to attack it, it was shot down by a massive hyper beam.

Umbreon got back up, and avoided a ground attack from a large Garchomp. It fired another shadow ball, and the Garchomp was knocked back into the cave wall. Athaliah sent out her Gyarados, and prompted Xenos to do the same. Both Gyarados were roaring majestically, but Xenos' was ill trained. Athaliah commanded her Gyarados to use hydro pump on the dragons, but as Xenos attempted to command his Pokémon, it refused to obey him.

Athaliah's Gyarados fired a huge shot of powerful water at the remaining dragons, and they shielded their nests from the assault. Umbreon finished them off with a night slash that ranged between them equally. Xenos' Gyarados had dived under the water, and resurfaced with a unconcious Malik in its jaws. Lowering its mouth near the edge of the basin, it released Malik onto the sand.

Xenos recalled his Gyarados, and was embarrassed that it had disobeyed its trainer. Malik was unconscious, and Xenos and Athaliah rushed over to help him. Xenos reached down to his neck to check his pulse, and while there was a pulse, he felt that Malik was not breathing.

"Is he alive," Athaliah asked, looking up at Xenos, "How bad is it?"

"Well," Xenos said, standing up, "He's not breathing, but he's alive. He needs to be revived."

Xenos was looking at Athaliah with an expectant look, and she began to blush. They were staring each other down for a moment, and Xenos was looking from Malik to her. Finally, the hint sunk in, and Athaliah blushed.

"You want me to do it," she asked in a surprsed voice.

"Yeah," Xenos replied, "I'm not puttin' my mouth on his, that's just wrong."

Athaliah blushed, and looked over at Malik. It wasn't that she had never kissed him, because she was used to that, but that she was actually being asked to revive him. It was a moment she knew would only strengthen their feelings, and she didn't want to distract him from his goals. She leaned down, and blew air into his lungs, pushing on his chest hard.

Malik awoke, spitting up water from his lungs, and jolted up. He was looking around in a hurry, then he spoke:

"I almost had it, I have to get back down there!"

"What are you talking about," Xenos asked.

"Oh, you'd love it," Malik replied in an excited voice, "An entire underwater cove, nothing but fresh dragon Pokémon. I would've reached it if not for your Gyarados stopping me."

"Well there's plenty of dragon Pokémon here as well, what makes this place so special?"

Malik looked up at the dragon Pokémon roaring over head, and watched them in amazement. They were threatening, however, and Malik's face grew more serious. He looked back at Xenos and Athaliah, smiling, and gestured to the water.

"There's no adult dragon Pokémon to attack us there, and there may be a way out as well. It's our only chance, given the alternative."

Athalah and Xenos nodded, and as the dragons above began to spiral down towards them, they both called out their Gyarados, but Xenos' Gyarados looked to Malik for command. Xenos glared at Malik, who was looking from the trainer to his Pokémon in confusion. Malik climbed onto Gyarados, followed closely by Xenos, and they submerged.

The massive dragon Pokémon had dived after them, knowing where they were headed, but the Gyarados were faster in the water. They swiftly dodged one attack after another, and made it quickly to the cove that Malik had spoken of. They now saw why there were no adult dragon Pokémon in the cove however, and as they neared the small entrance, Athaliah and Xenos were forced to call back their Pokémon.

Athaliah smirked, and sent out Swampert, Starmie, and Seadra, one Pokémon to give each trainer aid. The smaller Pokémon were even faster in the water than the Gyarados had been, and as they ascended beyond the other dragon's reach, they finally found air. They had made it through quickly, and were only slightly out of breath. Malik looked around in slight amusement, and smiled with a large grin.

"This is it," Malik said, "This is Dragon's Cove."


	23. Chapter 23

_**Ch. 23: Roar of the Dragon**_

Malik, Athaliah, Xenos, and Umbreon were sitting at the edge of the water, and as they watched the younger dragon Pokémon playing together, they rested. Malik, like his friends, had heard stories of a hidden cove, and it was said to be deep under the Earth's surface. This place, spoken of only in legends, housed all kinds of dragon-type Pokémon. Malik had no doubt that that was where they now found themselves resting.

"You don't mean to tell me," Xenos said, "that you think we are actually in the Dragon's Cove, do you?"

"Where else could we be," Malik replied, "It's the only explanation that makes sense."

"We are lucky to be alive, much less discussing this," Athaliah piped up, "Mythical legend or not, the fact remains that we are lost and trapped. What are we going to do about that problem?"

"Well," said Malik, peering up towards the roof of the cove, "We have nowhere to go but up."

"I'm tired of this," Xenos shouted, and he stood up to face Malik, "Your attitude lacks in discipline, and you speak as if we could merely sprout wings and ascend to the surface. Your arrogance is beyond frustrating!"

"Is there a problem," Malik said in a quiet voice as he looked into Xenos' eyes with a glare, "you wish to discuss with me?"

"The words would be wasted on a fool," Xenos replied.

"Then speak with fists, and see the problem appeased," Malik retorted.

Xenos rushed forward, and swung wildly with his left fist. Malik simply stepped sideways, and as he caught the punch, kicked Xenos' legs out from under him. Xenos landed hard, but rolled out-of-the-way of Malik's foot as it kicked down towards him. Jolting back up, Xenos lashed out in a series of punches, but Malik blocked each one seamlessly.

Once again, Malik caught him, and as Xenos sent his elbow from the other side, Malik blocked that hit as well, and again Xenos was on his back on the ground. Malik smirked, but Xenos was not amused. Xenos began fighting more seriously, but training and superior experience in fighting gave Malik the edge. One after another, all of Xenos' attempts to land a hit were foiled, and he found himself knocked to the ground by Malik.

"Stop it," Athaliah yelled angrily, "This isn't going to solve anything, we need to find a way out of here!"

"We will finish this discussion another time," Malik said in a calm voice, "Perhaps you can learn to speak my language better in the mean time."

Xenos snarled, but he did not argue. Despite his anger, he agreed that his energy would be needed to find a way out. The trio thought for a moment, contemplating how they could get out, and the answer seemed all the more obvious. They thought of using both of the Gyarados to build a massive wall of water to rise to the top of the cave, but were reminded by the roaring dragons below the water's surface of the size problem.

"Great, so we're trapped in here for good," Xenos instantly complained.

"I see only one other way out," Malik said in a firm voice, "We will use them..."

He gazed towards the Dratini that were playing in the water, and watched as they playfully sent out powerful waves of water and surfed on them. His smile grew, along with Xenos', and they both thought of how glorious it would be to capture a dragon Pokémon of their very own.

"You thinking what I'm thinking," Malik asked Xenos, looking at him with a smirk.

"Not only can we use them for escape, but they would be excellent in a trainer battle, and powerful allies to have on hand."

"You don't actually intend to capture them, do you," Athaliah said with a chuckle, "There is a reason so few even own dragon Pokémon. Imagine trying to tame one that hails from a generation of pure-bred dragons. You two don't stand a chance."

Malik and Xenos thought of the challenge they face, and almost seemed to heed her warning, but then turned to face the Dratinis once again. Though she had a good point of their power, that only made Xenos and Malik want to catch one even more. Malik reached for his Kadabra's poke ball, and Xenos had already sent out his Combusken.

The Dratini had ignored them, and Xenos and Malik guessed that these Pokémon had not yet been challenged to battle by their elders. It didn't matter to the duo, however, and they attacked. Kadabra lifted many of the Dratini out of the water, and Combusken spout powerful flames out at the dragon Pokémon. The roaring of the dragons under the water grew more violent as the Dratinis cried out in pain, and the cove began to shake violently.

Out of the twenty or so Dratinis that were attacked, only two remained behind to challenge Malik and Xenos. The others had fled below the water to the safety of the mature dragons. The Dratini Malik was fighting bore a bright skin, which shined beautifully in the sun light streaming from above, and Xenos faced a dark-skinned Dratini, with the blue almost resembling the dark depths of the ocean floor. Kadabra brought the Dratinis to the land by using its powerful psychic energy, and paired with Combusken to attack them.

The cove continued to quake violently, and as the Dratinis' battle cries echoed throughout the cove, the dragons hidden under the water roared even more violently. Xenos' Dratini was the first to go down, with the burns on its body scalding hot from Combusken's flames, but Malik's foe was much harder to wrestle down. It was lunging left and right, and Kadabra was having a hard time channeling its psychic energy.

As Xenos revealed the poke ball received from Fakir's parcel, his Combusken began to glow brightly. Malik's Kadabra was distracted slightly by the sight, and took a hard slam from the Dratini. Malik caught it, and Kadabra snarled at the dragon aggressively. Malik didn't need his empathic abilities to feel Kadabra's energy surge violently, and as its eyes glowed, the Dratini slithered hastily towards the water's edge.

Kadabra raised one hand, the spoon glowing with its eyes, and the Dratini was frozen in the air mid-jump. Kadabra was pissed off, and slammed the dragon into the rocky wall hard, then down to the ground. It continued the onslaught a few more times, until finally, the Dratini went limp. Malik panicked for a moment, thinking that Kadabra had killed it, but then it wriggled in pain a moment later.

Malik quickly withdrew Kadabra before it could attack again, and took out the poke ball he had received from his brother. As Xenos' evolving Combusken settled, and its form changed, Malik watched for a moment. The Blaziken was a hulking figure, and for a moment, Malik had forgotten its unique color. Where there would have normally been a red color of feathers, blue could be seen, and the bird-like figure proudly spout flames.

Xenos smirked, returned his Pokémon, and prepared to capture the dark Dratini. Malik also grasped his custom poke ball, and they tossed the balls at the same time. Xenos' capture was quick, but Malik's ball was writhing more and more. For a moment, they both expected the capture to fail, but the ball finally settled, and they both now claimed their Pokémon.

As they added to their teams, the water to their right began to bubble faster and faster, and the striped Dragonite came roaring out of a massive splash of water. The trainers felt their hearts sink, and all three of them stood together before the dragon. It lowered itself, a fierce glare strewn across its face, and as its feet met the ground, the cove shook heavily.

"You humans are all the same," the dragon said, again without moving its mouth, "You go anywhere you wish, taking Pokémon from their homes, and call yourselves master. You see Pokémon as tools for battle, and nothing more."

Malik glared, and almost spoke, but Umbreon was in front of him, and spoke in its own language. The dragon listened, and responded to the barks of the moonlight Pokémon.

"You say I am wrong," the dragon replied, "and that this trainer is your friend, not just a master? He seeks to bring order to our world, and to save and protect his home? Well," the dragon paused in thought, "I too have a home to protect, and I would see my offspring released before letting you escape."

Malik reluctantly nodded at Xenos, and as they reached for their freshly caught Pokémon, it took a moment to send them out. Though it had only been moments ago that they had been weakened in battle, the Dratinis seemed perfectly rested, and they were full of energy. They both looked back at their trainers, then slithered over to the massive, orange dragon at the water's edge. They began to speak in their own language together with their father Pokémon, and then returned to the trainers.

"Well, humans," the Dragonite said, "It would seem your arrival here is a blessing. My offspring informs me they have often dreamed of life beyond this cave, and accepted you as their trainers when they decided to stay behind and battle you," the dragon looked up towards the sunlight glistening from the roof of the cave, "Perhaps they can help you in righting the wrongs of so many countless humans..."

Malik and Xenos smiled, and as the dragon Pokémon were returned to their poke balls, the Dragonite lowered itself, and allowed the trainers to climb on its back. The wings extended and grew larger, and with a powerful gust of wind, they were lifted into the air. The feeling of wind whipping past their faces was amazing to them, and Malik longed for when he would be able to once again experience the feeling. Higher and higher they flew, and as their speed increased, Athaliah was clinging to Malik tightly.

They burst out from the roof of the cave, and found themselves soaring above the safari zone of Kanto. In almost every area, they could see Pokémon most never saw in their life, and some were colored differently. They continued to where the ship was docked, and Dragonite dropped them off at the edge of the dense forest they had wandered through.

"You have done well, travelers," the dragon said, "Stay true to your goals, and let nothing stand in your way. See to it that my offspring get the adventure they deserve, and train them to be their best."

With those words, the Dragonite flew off, back towards its den most likely, and the group hurried towards the city. Malik knew they had only hours to get a boarding pass for the SS. Anne, or they would have to wait another week before being able to leave to Cinnabar Island.


	24. Chapter 24

_**CH. 24: All Aboard!**_

"Fwoom!"

The vessel, SS Anne, blared its horn to announce final passage before setting sail. Malik and Umbreon, along with Athaliah and Xenos were patiently waiting in line to buy their tickets, but it was moving slowly, and they feared they would not get their tickets in time.

"Hey you guys," said a female who was running towards them, "I have some extra tickets, hurry up or we'll miss our boat!"

Malik's eyes widened, and he recognized the smooth face of Kaylah, the girl who had fended off the Crimson Jewel back in Saffron city. The group walked over to her, and Malik found a sudden happiness in seeing a familiar face.

"Kaylah, it's been too long," said Xenos as he pat her on the shoulder.

"Indeed it has," she said, and then brushed his hand off of her shoulder, "Malik, how has that amulet served you?"

"Well, I uh..." Malik began, but he was uncertain of what to say.

"He lost it," Xenos blurted out, and Malik returned his cocky smirk with a glare, "Now it's in the hands of another Pokedept."

Malik felt the blood drain from his cheeks, but just as Kaylah was about to begin scolding him, the ship blasted yet another sound wave from its horn. They all made a mad dash for the docks, but it was too late. As the ship set sail, and began to speed away, Xenos and Athaliah called out their Gyarados, and the group split in half to catch up with the ship on the backs of the two Pokémon.

The ship was sailing quite fast, but the Gyarados had speed that was rarely rivaled in the oceans, and they managed to catch up with the ship. The two serpentine water Pokémon lowered their heads, and the trainers landed on the stern of the ship. As they caught their breath, Kaylah was still glaring at Malik, who suddenly felt guilty.

"I can't believe you lost it," she scolded, "You've given someone with similar power a serious boost. We need to get it back before it's too late."

"Well at first we thought the guy was an ally," Malik explained, "but it turns out he only sought to strip me of my powers, and then claim them for his own. I never got the amulet back."

"Well," she replied, "What's done is done, and I have no doubt that he will return to you when he feels he is ready."

"So," Xenos interrupted, "How about those boarding passes?"

"Oh, you mean these," Kaylah said with a hint of flare in her voice, and held up the tickets, "You're gonna have to earn 'em in a Pokémon battle!"

"Bring it," Xenos and Malik replied in unison.

As Athaliah watched, Kaylah sent out her Pokémon, along with Xenos and Malik. Kaylah's first Pokémon were Marowak and Raichu, while Malik's Umbreon and Xenos' Blaziken proudly stepped on the battle field. Kaylah smirked, and chuckled slightly as she took notice of the discolored Pokémon.

"It's not often one gets to face down two shinies at once," she said, "However, it won't matter. As you'll soon discover, looks aren't everything. Raichu, use Thunderbolt, and Marowak, hit 'em with a Bonemerang attack!"

Malik was almost nervous, but then he felt something inside him, and he once again was able to use his powers. He focussed his energy, and he felt Umbreon's happiness rise when ther minds became one. Xenos, however, held no such advantage, but his fire-bird was well trained.

Both Umbreon and Blaziken avoided the electric attack of Raichu. Unfortunately, Blaziken wasn't fast enough to avoid the bone tossed by Marowak, and it was hit hard. Umbreon was the first to rush into battle, and it hit Marowak first with a powerful night slash. Marowak couldn't focus enough to attack, but Raichu was rushing to its aid.

Just as Raichu reached the two of them, however, Blaziken kicked Raichu with a skillful flourish. The flames surrounding the lower half of its legs kept building, and Raichu was the first to go down. Umbreon and Malik had forgotten about the bone, however, and as it returned to Marowak, Umbreon was hit hard and knocked backwards. As Kaylah returned her Raichu, and sent out her next Pokémon, Blaziken attempted to attack Marowak.

Its legs came down with great force, but Marowak simply blocked and deflected them with its bone. With one swift blow, the Blaziken was hit hard on the beak, and reeled away in pain. Infuriated, Marowak again tossed its bone, and hit the blue fire Pokémon on the beak hard. Blaziken went down, and as Kaylah's poke ball revealed Ivysaur, Xenos sent out his Raichu.

Calling out attacks left and right, Malik seemed to be the only silent trainer. The energy streaming from the battling Pokémon was strengthening him, but his Umbreon was unphased. Dodging the Marowak's bone club multiple times, Umbreon and Malik were having difficulty finding an opening for attack. It was proving a useful distraction from Ivysaur and Raichu, however, and just as Marowak tossed its bone, Umbreon seized the moment.

The bone had swung slightly wider than Marowak anticipated, and Umbreon gathered its dark energy into a ball. Firing it with devastating force, Marowak attempted to stop the attack with its small arms. While it was being pushed back, both Raichu and Ivysaur narrowly missed the bone club's deadly attack. Marowak's eyes grew wide, and as its decision between the shadow ball, or being hit with its own attack weighed in, Umbreon simply watched.

There was a loud, bone crunching sound as the club struck Marowak right on its skull, and it collapsed immediately, followed by a massive surge of dark energy from the shadow ball. Raichu seemed to merely be toying with Kaylah's Ivysaur, but it was ill trained by Xenos. The Ivysaur was landing a few hits with its razor leaf attack, but Raichu's electric pulses were lightning quick, and it dodged any real damage from the assault. It seemed that Xenos' Raichu held an impressive amount of speed, and it was taking the weaker hits with ease.

Sending out her next Pokémon, Kaylah called for a vine whip attack from Ivysaur, and Raichu was gripped with intense force. Umbreon tried to rush over, but found its path blocked by Nidoqueen. This Pokémon was one familiar to Malik, and his mind flashed with information.

The female drill Pokémon, known for its protective nature, and incredible power, was covered in a thick hide that was nearly impenetrable, with poison spikes on its back as a defense mechanism. Unlike the male, Nidoking, Nidoqueen boasted shorter, rounded horns, but what she lacked in sharpness was replaced by sturdiness. Nidoqueen, needless to say, was well known for its endurance.

Raichu cried out in pain, and on command, it unleashed an incredibly powerful jolt of electricity. Ivysaur finally lost its grip, and both Pokémon were struggling to get up. Meanwhile, Umbreon once again found itself jumping and dodging vicious attacks from Kaylah's Pokémon. Kaylah's next order sent a painful surge down Xenos' spine, and he had no idea how he could avoid it.

"Ivysaur, use Giga Drain!"

The words were devastating, but there was little Xenos could do about it. As the last of Raichu's energy was sapped, Ivysaur seemed completely healthy once again, having been renewed by Raichu's energy. Xenos recalled his Pokémon, and snarled at the girls laughter. Just as she was about to say something sarcastic, however, yet another Pokémon was downed.

Umbreon cried out in pain, having been smashed by Nidoqueen's massive tail, and was flung through the air hard. Its landing was not much lighter than the blow that caused it, and Umbreon was unable to battle any further. Malik reached for his ball, and then remembered how much Umbreon had loathed it.

His memory flashed to Eevee, and how it had refused, time and time again, to enter its ball. The only time it had done so willingly was when he had first spent the day with Athaliah. All of that seemed like a lifetime ago to Malik, and he almost put the ball away. Umbreon jerked its head at his hand, however, and pressed its nose to the button of the Moon Ball.

As Malik watched in surprise, Umbreon was whisked into its ball, and he carefully sent out his next Pokémon. Glaring at Kaylah, both Malik and Xenos sent out Arcanine and Scyther. Arcanine ignored the Ivysaur, however, and rushed at Nidoqueen. Seeing this, Malik channeled his focus into Scyther's mind, and attacked Ivysaur. Nidoqueen lashed out with its tail, but Arcanine simply caught it in its mouth, and bit down hard.

Scyther dashed forward, and as Ivysaur attempted to hit it with razor leaves and vine whips, Malik's Pokémon dodged effortlessly. Hitting Ivysaur with the blunt end of its scythe-like appendages, Ivysaur's jaw swelled and bruised. Arcanine hadn't let go of Nidoqueen's tail, and instead lifted her up, and slammed the beast onto the ground hard. The entire stern of the ship seemed to quake from the barrage, and Nidoqueen found itself being tossed like a ragdoll to the side of the ship.

Meanwhile, Scyther had not ceased its deadly assault, and was now slicing with the sharp sides of its claws. Ivysaur had become enraged, however, and began to draw in sunlight while dodging the attack. Scyther paid no attention, and dashed forward once again. Arcanine roared proudly, and just as Nidoqueen got up with a confident look in its eyes, Arcanine blasted it with fire. A massive twister of flames engulfed the poison Pokémon, and as it went down, Arcanine ceased its attack and snuffed a small bit of flames to the side.

"Good job Arcanine," Xenos began, "but the battle isn't over yet."

Just as Ivysaur fired its Solar Beam attack, Scyther was hit hard. The beam fired with such intense force that Scyther slammed into Arcanine hard, and both took great damage. Arcanine growled, and was glaring at Ivysaur. Ivysaur, though dealing a powerful attack, looked like it was growing tired. Scyther managed to get back up, but Arcanine barreled past it in a rage.

Malik's Pokémon was knocked down by the large dog, and Arcanine was engulfed in flames as it ran. By the time the smoke from the Flare Blitz settled, Ivysaur was on its back, and Kaylah was forced to quickly return it. She glared at Malik and Xenos, but Malik was giving Xenos an equally frustrated stare.

"Hey, how about next time you actually control your Pokémon before it goes around hitting mine," Malik scolded as he withdrew his Scyther.

"Sorry," Xenos said, "It's just that Arcanine has a lot of pride, and sometimes he gets annoyed easily."

Kaylah sent out her last two Pokémon, Skarmory and Vileplume. Malik sent out his Elekid, and he was certain the battle would be over soon. Xenos' Arcanine Rushed at the Vileplume, but it was suddenly stopped. Meanwhile, Elekid was toying with Kaylah's Skarmory. The armored bird was pecking and slashing its wings at Elekid, but the rowdy Pokemon's speed and size made it a difficult target to strike.

"Arcanine, what are you doing," Xenos yelled, "attack it!"

Looking closer, a thin cloud of yellow powder could be seen surrounding Arcanine, and Vileplume began drawing in sunlight much the same way Ivysaur had done. Elekid's playing around had yet to be broken by training, and Malik felt that now was a good time to start. Channeling his energy, he tapped into Elekid's energy, and forced it to take a hit.

Elekid cried out in pain, and even though Malik felt bad, it needed to be done. Malik's plan had worked, and Elekid was now more focussed. Arcanine was still being paralyzed by the grass Pokemon's stun spore, and it was unable to move. A massive ball of light was forming in the Vileplume's petals, and it was swelling thick with ripe sunlight. In a vicious attack, the beam sprayed into the stiff, fire dog, and Arcanine went down hard.

Xenos yelled out in frustration, but as he sent out his next Pokémon, he was filled with confidence. Elekid was dodging Skarmory's lethal attacks, but there was no opening to be found. Finally, it caught a break as Skarmory pecked downwards at the small, spark-plug Pokémon. Skarmory's beak had gotten stuck, and Elekid began spinning its arms, and charged them with electric power.

Xenos' Espeon had sat in place, ignoring the Vileplume that was attempting to attack it, and began to lick its paws. Xenos was frustrated at how his Pokémon had so little respect for him for some reason, and how they had refused to obey his commands. Vileplume finally managed to land an attack, however, once again due to its stun spore's aid. Espeon grew annoyed, not only at the attempt to attack, but that it was being physically paralyzed.

With its eyes glowing, Espeon's psychic energy engulfed the grass Pokémon, and it was repeatedly slammed into the ground with fierce power. Meanwhile, Elekid's arms were fully charged, and it prepared to attack the Skarmory. Skarmory ripped its beak from the wooden floor of the ship, however, and Elekid once again found itself dodging. A sudden surge of rage filled its eyes, and Elekid landed on the ground with a glare as Skarmory lunged full force with its beak.

Vileplume fell unconscious, and as the breeze of the ocean blew away the yellow powder, Espeon released its psychic energy, and returned to Xenos' side. It was all up to Kaylah's Skarmory, but that battle seemed just as unwinnable to her. Elekid's eyes were glowing with intense, golden light, and it caught the Skarmory's beak with one arm.

In one powerful jolt, Elekid surged countless volts of electricity into the steel bird Pokemon's body, and its other arm rolled in place. As it generated even more static power, Elekid finished the battle with a powerful, electrically charged punch. Skarmory went soaring into the air, then came down with a massive thud, still being contorted by the electricity coursing through its body.

"Yes!" Xenos shouted in excitement, "How do ya like that? Yeah, you, with the dark brown hair, how do ya like these guns?"

Kaylah reluctantly withdrew her Pokémon, and Malik simply placed his hand on his face, and shook his head. Xenos finally calmed down, and there was an awkward silence, followed by Athaliah's chuckling in the background. Xenos had officialy managed to embarras Malik beyond words, and Kaylah flipped him off.

"It seems my Pokémon are in need of more training," said Kaylah in an indifferent tone, "Well, here's the boarding passes as I promised."

Malik took two, and Xenos took his pass as well. With that, Kaylah left them, and mentioned something about an investigation that needed her attention. They still weren't entirely sure what she did for a living, but Malik had a hunch they would find out eventually. He handed Athaliah her boarding pass, and then she spoke:

"Well if you boys are done playing around, we should check out the SS Anne. It says in this pamphlet there's an indoor spa, and since I had to sit here and watch you battle, I get to decide where we go first."

"Oh fine," Xenos moaned, "We can go to the spa, besides there might be some females that need my attention."

"Oh I'm sure they're just dying to meet you, Xenos," Malik said dryly.

He and Athaliah just laughed while Xenos argued back, and they made their way to the spa. As soon as they entered, they were greeted by beautiful women who, unfortunately for Xenos, seemed more interested in Athaliah than the two guys she was with. Luckily, they had a special area where Pokémon could receive a relaxing experience while their trainers were spoiled.

The two people that greeted Malik and Xenos seemed oddly familiar, but they were too excited to pay any mind to it, and their Pokémon were escorted to the designated area. Athaliah went first, and was followed shortly after by the guys.

Malik and Xenos were taken to a different area than the women, which only disappointed Xenos further. Malik paid no attention to his complaining, but rather he embraced the feeling of relaxation from his massage. Suddenly, his head was throbbing, and a familiar sound broke its way into his mind.

"Thieves," the voice hissed, "Petty thieves, they crave our things...yes our Pokémon, they wish to steal them. Thieves!"

As the voice pestered Malik with intense ferocity, and filled his mind with visions of his Pokémon being sold to bad trainers for profit, he snapped. He yelled at the top of his lungs, and his aura exploded rapidly. Xenos was knocked into the far wall, but still managed to stay conscious. The same could not be said for the fake assistants who were being tossed around in the air like rag dolls.

Left and right, the two phonie assistants were slammed into the walls, and Malik was hovering in the air swelling with power. He turned his head fast, and their disguises were ripped off, revealing their Team Rocket uniforms. He brought them face-to-face with himself, snarling, and their eyes grew wide with fear.

"Yes," begged the voice in desperation, "Such delicious life energy. Give it here, let me drink from their foul souls...so tasty..."

Malik gained only a slight bit of control, ignoring the voice completely, and as the two crooks were shot into the far wall hard, his energy settled. He landed on the ground with a migraine, and Xenos ran over to help him. Looking over at where the thieves had landed, Malik saw that Jeice and Jade were knocked out cold, and Xenos helped him stand up.

"What happened," Xenos asked in a concerned voice.

"I don't know," Malik said as his memory flashed rapidly, "One moment I was fine, but then the voice-"

"The voice again," Xenos shouted, interrupting Malik.

"Yeah," he replied, "It whispered to me, and it told me they were thieves. After that I-I don't really remember much."

"Let's go find Athaliah, and get our Pokémon back," Xenos declared, "Then we'll find out exactly what's going on here."


	25. Chapter 25

_**Ch. 25: Abandon Ship!**_

Malik and Xenos rushed into the room that was holding all the Pokémon, but they were gone. Malik had suspected this might happen, but luckily, Umbreon had been too exhausted to leave its ball. Malik clutched the Moon Ball in his hand, and looked down at it as it shimmered in the light. Fate seemed to be both against him, and on his side, but as they rushed into the main entrance of the spa, Malik's resolve would be put to the test.

As they came to a halt, Malik noticed something strange about the women who had greeted them upon their arrival. They were motionless, and lacked any kind of facial expression. Xenos was standing still in utter confusion, but Malik took a step forward. The silence weighed heavily on their ears, but that's when Malik's foot came crashing down on a piece of glass, and the sound broke the silence.

All at once, the heads of all the assistants jolted up, facing Malik and Xenos. Upon closer inspection, Malik and Xenos could see their eyes glowing, and the duo pondered what they could be since they were obviously not human. Taking yet another step, the women did the same, and Malik became curious. Finally, one of them spoke, but the voice was robotic and mechanical sounding, and there was no emotion in the echoed noise.

"Halt, trainers," the thing demanded, "You are not to leave until you and your Pokémon have been fully revitalized."

"I'm feeling fresh enough," Xenos shouted with a hint of frustration in his tone, "Now give us back our Pokémon, and get out of our way."

"Repeat," said another of the robots, "Trainers are not to leave until fully revitalized. All Pokémon have been placed on a permanent stay."

"Like hell," Malik muttered, but was interrupted by Xenos dashing forward towards the androids.

One by one, Malik watched as Xenos struck down every one of the robotic beings, and parts flew left and right. By the time he had finished, there was little more than a scrap heap of mangled appendages left on the ground, and Xenos was heavily panting. Stepping forward slowly, Malik could feel a faint hint of energy filling the room, and he was shocked to sense the machines' energy.

"What is it," Xenos asked, watching Malik reach down to the floor with one hand.

"I can feel them," Malik said, "They're not living beings, but I can feel their essence."

"Impossible," Xenos detested, "They're just scraps and spare parts, they hold no such energy."

"All things hold energy," Malik argued, shooting a glare at Xenos, "Even your flapping tongue."

As Xenos stormed towards the far wall angrily, Malik listened for the energy once again, and closed his eyes. His mind flashed with visions of the people who had been here being taken away by force. Again, he could see the glowing eyes of the androids, and among the people taken, he saw Athaliah. He followed the vision, hearing her cry out for help, and saw the room they took her to along with the others.

"I know where they've taken the others," Malik declared as he stood up, "and our Pokémon."

"Whatever would we do without your wisdom and knowledge," Xenos said sarcastically, "Oh blessed one."

Malik almost said something, but Xenos had already ripped off a security camera, and hacked into it to replay the footage. Malik's vision and the video being played were the same, and he pat Xenos on the back hard.

"Good job, buddy," Malik proclaimed in an overly excited tone, "Lead the way, oh mighty warrior!"

Xenos shrugged off his shoulder, growling, and he and Malik made their way to the wall near where the Team Rocket duo had been thrashed by Malik. Malik and Xenos stood in front of the wall, and again he placed his hand on it to see how the secret passage was unlocked. His mind flashed yet again, and revealed a panel of numbers hidden under a sliding piece of the wall.

Acting on memory of his vision, Malik hastily punched in the code, and a massive piece of the wall opened. Malik and Xenos ran in, not thinking to close the door behind them, and followed the dark hallway to a hidden room. They stopped just outside the door to the room, and Malik could hear talking.

"Well, Jeice it seems we have finally out-done ourselves," said a female voice.

"Yes," Jeice replied, "We finally have all the rare and powerful Pokémon we promised to get for the boss."

Realizing that the Team Rocket duo must have awoken, and ran into the hidden room before Malik and Xenos had returned, the two trainers ran into the room to face them. Seeing them, the two thieves pretended not to be intimidated, but Malik could sense their fear of him immediately.

"It's them," said Jeice in a panick-ridden tone.

"Settle down, you fool," Jade scolded, "We have their Pokémon, there's nothing they can do to us now!"

"Oh yeah," said Jeice, "I almost forgot."

"In times of peril, in times of hate," Jade shouted.

"Team Rocket returns to seal your fate," Jeice added.

"We're mean and ruthless, you soon will see," she continued.

"How powerful merely two can be," Jeice said in an upbeat tone.

"Jade," she said.

"Jeice," he said.

"Team Rocket, standing for the fate of all," Jade shouted, striking a pose.

"Surrender now, or prepare to fall," Jeice finished, also striking a pose.

Before Malik or Xenos could react, a poke ball busted open, and a howl echoed through the room. Malik smiled with immense pride as Houndoom proudly glared at Team Rocket. As they slowly backed away in fear, Houndoom saw Malik, and ran over to him happily.

"Houndoom," Malik said indifferently, "I know you missed me, but right now we have to stop Team Rocket."

"Ha," Jade shouted, "Even you should know that one Pokémon isn't enough to best two, go Liepard!"

"Sandslash," Jeice shouted as he tossed his poke ball, "Attack!"

Houndoom quickly rushed forward, dodging Liepard's slicing claws, and lunged at Sandslash. Sandslash dodged Houndoom's crunch by inches, and knocked him back with a powerful slash. Houndoom caught its footing, ignoring the blood dripping from its eyebrow, and rushed again. As Jade's Liepard attempted a biting attack of its own, Houndoom jumped up, and caught the spotted cat's tail in its mouth.

Sandslash wasted no time in rushing, but Houndoom had expected it to attack, and flung the Liepard into the spiked Pokémon with tremendous force. Meanwhile, Xenos had snuck over to where the cameras had shown the cell blocks holding the trainers hostage, and was attempting to hack into the locks. Houndoom howled mightily, and as the Liepard and Sandslash struggled to untangle themselves, Houndoom's eyes glowed bright red.

"Uh-oh," said Jeice in a squeaky voice.

"That's not good," Jade finished, watching the Houndoom's gaping mouth fill with red-hot flames.

As it fired a powerful blast of flames, the two thieves and their Pokémon were engulfed completely, and a massive hole was burnt out of the side of the SS Anne. The two crooks went flying outside, and plummeted to the water below. Just as Houndoom trotted over to Malik proudly, Xenos came running back from the cell block, along with all the prisoners.

"Excellent," Xenos said, "I leave you alone for five seconds and you steal all the glory."

Malik just chuckled, but just as he was about to say something back, Athaliah came running to him. She squealed with happiness, and as she jumped into Malik's arms, her breasts accidentally were smashed into his face.

"A proper reward for a hero," Xenos said with a hint of laughter in his voice.

Malik tried to respond, but his voice was muffled by Athaliah's impressive chest. Finally, she let him go, and they shared a kiss. This time, no one said anything, but the people that had been freed were talking among themselves. After a moment, one of them approached Malik, and what he said did not surprise Malik in the least.

"We heard them bragging about the captian," the man said, "Apparently the real captain is being held captive back their Vermillion city headquarters."

"Did they say where that was," Malik asked in a serious tone.

"No," the man said, shaking his head, "But I do recall a large black tower with a red 'R' on the top of it. I'm no genius, but I'd say that's a hell of a place to start."

"Sounds like we've got a captain to apprehend," Xenos said with a smirk crossing his face.

"It would seem so," Malik said as he paused briefly, "Okay people, listen up! Take what Pokémon are yours, and wait for us on the ship's stern. If you don't know what that is, it's a sailor's term for the back of the ship. If you don't have any water Pokémon, find someone who does in case of an emergency."

With that, Malik and Xenos gathered their Pokémon, along with Athaliah and the rest of the trainers there. As they waited, Malik and Xenos began contemplating a plan to catch the captain off guard, and put on male assistant uniforms they found in a nearby closet. As the last of the passengers exited the room, Athaliah stayed behind.

"You will go with them," Malik said, "Xenos and I can handle Giovanni Jr., but we need you to help people get to safety."

"It's because you have nothing but water Pokémon," Xenos blurted out, followed by a glare from Malik.

"Sounds great to me," Athaliah shouted with excitement, "Finally, I get to be the star! Caught in the spotlight of countless innocence just begging for me to help them! I can see it all now..."

As she returned from her daydream, however, Malik and Xenos had already vanished to the captain's quarters, and she stomped her way to the stern, pouting. Upon entering the room, there was an array of flashing buttons and a multitude of monitors, each one displaying a camera's view on most parts of the ship. There sat the would-be captain, still putting on an act, and one of the screens was fuzzy and grey.

"What is it," Giovanni Jr.'s voice echoed in a piercing tone, "that forces you to interrupt me while I'm driving."

"It would seem that we have a shortage," Malik replied in a deep voice, attempting to match Jeice's.

"A shortage of what," demanded the villain.

"A shortage of staff," Xenos yelled, already directly behind the false captain. Xenos was strangling the crook, and as the fiend gasped for air, he pressed a large, red button on the control panel in front of him. Suddenly, lights began to flash, and as the room glowed red with light, a mechanical voice thundered through the ship.

"Self-destruct sequence has been initiated," it said in an emotionless jest, "All passengers are to abandon ship immediately. Self-destruct in ten...nine...eight..."

As the ship began its countdown, Malik and Xenos tried to corner Giovanni Jr., who was backing away towards the window with a dark grin. They finally got him against the wall, and were both smirking, but then he cast out his poke ball, and revealed Machamp.

"A pity we cannot battle, but I have other matters that demand my attention," he shouted as Machamp smashed its way through the wind shield, "Perhaps next time I can give you a proper battle."

As he and his Pokémon leapt out of the control room, and fell to the waters below, Malik and Xenos were helpless to give chase. Xenos ran for the stern of the ship, but Malik stayed just long enough to watch the four-armed Pokémon swimming away with his greatest enemy. Malik finally gained his senses, but the sound he heard was more than unpleasant.

"Self-destruct sequence in three...two..."

Malik had no time to run for the stern, but instead sprinted and jumped out through the hole Machamp had made. As he dove down, hurtling towards the water, a massive series of explosions roared through the night sky. The water engulfed Malik completely, but he hurried to the surface of the water, and watched as the proud, revived ship once again sunk to the depths of the Kanto ocean. To Malik's relief, he saw both Athaliah and Xenos' Gyarados helping those without Pokémon to stay afloat, along with multiple life boats.

The water was colder than he had expected, but he had trained his body to adapt to temperatures rapidly, and began swimming towards them. While he was swimming, he heard a sound echo from deep beneath the water, and it made him stop and look down. It was a soothing sound, which he had never heard, and he could now see a massive form swimming through the water with great speed.

He caught only a small glimpse before the darkness settled into his mind, and the gang awoke the next day at the Cinnabar Pokémon Center. With no idea how they had escaped the water, or what had happened to Team Rocket, the trio was very confused. For now, Malik would not question their incredible luck, but instead focussed on the challenge ahead: The Cinnabar Island Gym!


	26. Chapter 26

_**Ch. 26: Athaliah's Battle**_

Dakriel and his sister had spent the majority of their time trying to restore his damaged powers, but it proved difficult. Not only was he failing to heal the massive gash on his forehead, but the amulet had done absolutely nothing for him. The private living quarters of the Cinnabar Gym held little more than a bed for them to share, but made it easy to avoid unwanted attention.

"It's no use," Dakriel shouted at the top of his lungs, "No matter how hard I try, I can't access my powers! This stupid amulet only reminds me of the day I lost them in the first place!"

He tossed the trinket hard against the wall, but as it fell it did not break. The Crimson Jewel sat silently, and watched as he paced around the room, sulking in his rage. She had refused to talk to him for the last couple of days now, not for any purpose, but rather she enjoyed whatever silence came her way.

Meanwhile, back at the Pokémon Center, two nurses finally emerged from the hallway, and returned Athaliah's Pokémon to her. Though she had no memory of how they had made it here, she remembered how exhausted her Pokémon had been from helping the survivors of the shipwreck, SS Anne. Umbreon had also been taken for treatment, and Malik was happy to see that it once again refused to go into its ball.

"That's how I know you're healthy," Malik said as he pat Umbreon on the head, "Forever reluctant to be confined to a ball."

Umbreon cheered happily, but Malik's mind remained heavy with the sound he had heard. He thought of only one Pokémon that it could have been, but surely he was mistaken. He had read stories and legends of the Pokémon known as Lugia, but there was no evidence to support any of those claims. One such tale told of how Ash Ketchum himself had once encountered the beast of the sea, and even been permitted to fly on its back.

"Well," Malik said in a heavy sigh, "Let's go, we've got ourselves a gym battle to win!"

Back at the gym, Dakriel was attempting to read his sister's Flareon's energy, but he had yet to get access to his powers again. His mind flashed of that fateful day when he challenged Malik. Even with the power of the amulet, he had stood no chance against the fledgling. He cringed as he remembered crashing through the wall, with the heavy debris falling down around him.

"You must face your fears," the Crimson Jewel finally declared, "If you are to have any hope of conquering them."

"Now she speaks," he retorted, "What do my fears have to do with accessing a power I already held possession of?"

"It is the event that locked them away in the first place," she replied, "Think about it for a moment..."

The more he thought, the more it was that he realised she was right. Until then, he had never been defeated in a battle, Pokémon or otherwise, and that must have been what sealed it. The gash on his forehead merely triggered the event, and he now stood powerless before himself, not anyone else. He let his mind wander, and relived the experience.

"Now arriving," a voice rang over a speaker system, "Three new challengers. Repeat: Three new challengers have entered the Cinnabar Island Gym."

The Crimson Jewel rushed to the screen, and looked at Dakriel with a grin. He was confused at her smile, and walked over to view the screen for himself. Sure enough, there were three challengers, but they were not new to the siblings.

"It seems fate would see your fears laid to rest," she assured him.

"Indeed it does...Blaire," he replied.

The trio didn't have to wait very long, and as the sibling outlaws emerged from the doorway above the gym, Malik and Xenos were prepared for battle. Despite their eagerness, it was Athaliah who stepped onto the battle field first. Upon seeing this, Malik and Xenos traded a glance of amused surprise.

"I didn't know she was trying to earn gym badges," Xenos said out loud.

"Athaliah, are you sure you're up for this," Malik asked sincerely.

"Yeah," Xenos added, "I hear this gym is pretty tough."

"Oh, I've got this," Athaliah said with a thick attitude of confidence, "That bitch is mine!"

Blaire and Dakriel watched the dark haired girl approach, and the Crimson Jewel was filled with a slight anticipation to see just how powerful the ex-water gym leader truly was. They were lowered ever closer to the ground, and when they finally came within range of the group's vision, all three of them were shocked at who they saw.

"No way," Malik shouted in disbelief, "That doesn't even make sense!"

"It's them," Xenos declared, "but they're...together?"

"Oh no," Athaliah scolded, "I don't care what they've done, I'm not letting you two get in the way of me and my volcano badge!"

"Welcome, trainers, to the Cinnabar Island Pokémon Gym!"

Blaire's voice was loud and booming, but the walls were what had given her voice such authority over the gym. She stepped out onto the battle field, and smiled at Athaliah. As she took note of the water trainer's foul expression, she chuckled slightly.

"You were once a gym leader, so I doubt that the official rules need explanation," she said, "Let's get started, shall we? Go, Flareon!"

"Go, Swampert!"

Athaliah's Pokémon had busted from the ball ready to battle, and with the overwhelming type advantage, she was sure this battle would be over quickly. Swampert stood towering over the flaming fox, but Flareon wasn't intimidated in the least by the massive mud-fish.

"Don't think that just because I favor the fire type means your victory is certain, little girl."

"It's not just certain," Athaliah shouted as she thrusted her hand out to point at Flareon, "but I guarantee your little pet won't last more than two attacks against Swampert! Go, use Hydro Pump!"

Swampert's mouth gaped open, and a powerful torrent of pure water spewed at the Flareon. With incredible speed, the Flareon dodged, and upon command, sent out a stream of pure fire at Swampert. Swampert fired yet another blast, and Athaliah smirked with pride as the flamethrower and hydro pump clashed. Steam rose quickly upon the battle field, but Malik and Xenos could still see what was going on.

The gym itself did not seem to favor any type, and one of the first things Malik had noticed was that the gym itself was made of metal. From floor to ceiling, steel lining made up the majority of this gym, and Malik guessed it was to strengthen the heat of fire type attacks.

The steam grew thicker and thicker, and just as Athaliah thought Swampert had gained the advantage, Flareon increased its fire power dramatically. Sure enough, the flames evaporated the water in a pinch, and Swampert was hit hard. It went flying back, but got up quickly. Just as Flareon had descended upon it, Swampert bashed Flareon's skull with its powerful right arm, and it was Flareon who soared backwards.

"Watch it, Athaliah," Malik called out, "The metal of the gym helps conduct heat for fire type attacks, so don't try to match it like that again."

"Got it," she replied with a nod.

Swampert had listened as well, and as Flareon fired yet another blast of fire, Swampert began stomping on the ground hard. The entire building shook, but no one was moved too badly, other than Flareon. Flareon's blast had soared upwards, ricocheted off of the roof, and was now hurtling back towards the fox. Dizzy from the power of Swampert's earthquake, the fire-blast hit Flareon full force, and it went down hard.

Recalling her Flareon, Blaire wasted no time in selecting her next Pokémon. She tossed her poke ball, and out came her Ninetails. Swampert roared, and Ninetails snarled and growled with ferocity. On command to use surf, Swampert's mouth began to pump tons of water onto the floor of the gym, but Ninetails rushed forward.

Unaffected by the water flooding the gym, Ninetails slammed into Swampert hard. It was knocked back, but Swampert recovered quickly. It spewed even more water, and the gym was now flooded an entire three feet. Ninetails rushed again, but this time the odds favored Swampert.

As its eyes glowed slightly yellow, Swampert had all the water swelling up behind it, and then a miniature tidal wave went hurtling forward. Swampert was surfing on the water full force, and Ninetails was on a collision course with it, or so it seemed. In one swift move, Ninetails lunged up, and knocked Swampert off of the wave hard. The wave subsided, and Swampert was on the ground struggling to get up.

In one swift attack, Ninetails fired a thick stream of flames at the mud fish, and Athaliah was forced to recall her Pokémon before it was fatally wounded. She thought for a moment, and then sent out her next Pokémon. The ball busted open, and Seadra came shooting out proudly.

"You see," Athaliah began, "I don't need to be in the water to use my Pokémon, I can just make some."

"How very clever of you, twerp," Blaire retorted with a hint of annoyance.

Ninetails glared at the Seadra with the same ferocity that it had shown Swampert, but Seadra wasted no time in attacking. It fired a thick ink shot into the fox's eyes, and then dashed forward. Before it could even react to the ink, Seadra had slammed into Flareon. The nine-tailed fox reeled backwards, and was now soaking wet from the water on the floor.

Seadra was a tyrant in the water, and as Athaliah skillfully commanded her water Pokémon, it fired a massive wave of water into the fox's face hard. Ninetails cried out in pain, and then fell unconscious. The gym leader didn't waste time with words, and the group was surprised to see her send out a Charmeleon. Malik couldn't help but recall what he knew about the fire type lizard.

It was a hard Pokémon to train, but it was equally powerful. Charmeleon were noted most for their stubborn behavior, and their pride. Aside from this, only their skill with fire type moves was rivaled, and even against a water Pokémon, they were a force to be reckoned with. Malik smirked, and as he watched with amusement, the Charmeleon torched the floor, and again the water was turned into mist.

Luckily for Athaliah, her Seadra was strong enough to stand on its tail, but now its speed would be cut dramatically. Charmeleon rushed forward, and as Seadra hopped from side to side, the fire Pokemon's tail came crashing down on Seadra. In a surprising turn of events, Charmeleon's tail had been pricked by the barbs on Seadra's back, and Charmeleon was roaring in pain. Seadra jumped up, slammed into the Charmeleon hard and fast, and again the lizard was crying out.

"What's wrong with you," Blaire shouted angrily, "Stop whining and torch that sea horse before I torch you!"

Charmeleon got up angrily, and again rushed at Seadra. Seadra fired shots of ink and water left and right, but only managed to slightly damage Charmeleon. As Seadra and Charmeleon came face to face, Blaire's Pokémon scorched Seadra with a lethal wave of fire. The flames rose quickly, spinning and swirling with incredible power, and when the embers finally settled, Seadra was unconscious on the ground.

"You should really learn to treat your Pokémon better," Athaliah yelled as she reached for Starmie's poke ball, "or they may grow to resent you."

"I'll treat them however I want to," Blaire yelled back, "I don't have time for weak Pokémon! I demand the best out of all of them!"

"You talk about trainers who mistreat their Pokémon, yet here you stand mistreating your own. If anyone deserves to lose their Pokémon, it's you! Go, Starmie, use Psychic!"

Athaliah's Starmie came roaring out of its poke ball, and immediately lifted Charmeleon into the air. Charmeleon was struggling to gain control of itself, but it was to no avail. Slamming it on the ground hard, Starmie's relentless attacks were dealing massive damage. Charmeleon was finally released, but it was too weak to even stand. With the last of its energy fading, Blaire demanded that it attack again.

"Stop this," Malik yelled out, "If that Charmeleon uses anymore energy, you'll kill it! Is that really what you want?"

"Silence," Blaire yelled, "I will not be told what to do, or how to handle my Pokémon in my gym! Charmeleon, use fire blast, right now!"

As everyone else, including Dakriel, watched in horror, Charmeleon got up, and prepared to attack. Starmie rushed forward, but Athaliah commanded it not to attack. Charmeleon roared mightily, and fired the last of its energy. The blast was small, and did little to damage Starmie at all. With a heavy thud, Charmeleon collapsed, and its life force was depleted.

"No," Athaliah murmured with thick tears filling her eyes, "That poor Pokémon, dead...BECAUSE OF YOU!"

"Athaliah," Malik shouted, "calm yourself, there's nothing we can do now..."

Blaire tried to return her Pokémon, but the ball refused to recall the lifeless body. Its tail had gone out, and the Charmeleon lay there, limp and cold. Athaliah had continued to sob, but she wiped the tears from her eyes, and as Blaire sent out her last Pokémon, Athaliah's rage built tremendously.

"You'll pay for this," she declared.

"Try me," Blaire retorted.

Athaliah's Starmie was now face-to-face with Camerupt, and she was determined to win this battle. Right away, Camerupt had begun to shake the gym with a devastating earthquake, but luckily, Starmie's recovery skills had improved since its trainer's battle against Malik. On command, Starmie blasted Camerupt with a spray of ice-cold water, and soaked the fire Pokémon.

As Starmie simultaneously recovered and attacked, Camerupt could do little more than try to hit it with its fiery attacks. In no time at all, Starmie had rendered the fire/ground type Pokémon unconscious, and the battle was over. Returning her Pokémon, Athaliah stepped forward to receive her badge, and she picked up Charmeleon's lifeless body.

"Congradulations," Blaire announced, "I award you with the volcano badge, take it with pride...murderer."

"Bitch," Athaliah screamed, as she repeatedly slapped Blaire left and right with her remaining arm, "You don't even deserve to live! How dare you speak of pride and honor? You have none, you fucking bitch!"

Malik and Xenos ran to pull her away, and Malik made sure to take the volcano badge, along with one for himself. They made it outside of the gym, and Athaliah was sobbing greatly. Her tears were heavier than the water in the gym had been, and she was holding Charmeleon close to her. Malik knelt, and placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"Come now, Athaliah," he said in a soft voice, "It's hard to accept, but not all trainers are good to their Pokémon, and sometimes these things happen."

"It's so young," she said as she cried, "Hardly old enough to battle that extensively. Why didn't she just stop? Why?"

Xenos and Malik let her cry for a moment, and then took her to the Pokémon Center to see if there was anything they could do. The nurse assured them she would do her best, though they all knew it was too late, and the three of them left the Pokémon Center together.


	27. Chapter 27

_**Ch. 27: Rise of the Phoenix **_

Blaire wiped the blood from her mouth and face, and even though her illusion hid it well, she could feel her wounds. They were being amplified by the scars on her real face, with blood running everywhere. Upon seeing this, and only slightly feeling it, Dakriel had ran outside. Blaire wasn't sure where he was going, but for now she didn't have time to find out, and returned to her room to clean her wounds.

Meanwhile, Malik and Xenos, along with Umbreon, were following Athaliah. She had rushed outside rather excitedly, especially for someone who had just finished crying, and Malik was slightly confused.

"Where exactly are we going," Xenos demanded after a little while.

"To the day care of course," Athaliah replied with a hint of excitement, "Oh I just can't wait to see my Pokémon again!"

"That's right," Malik stated with sudden realization, "After the old day care was burned down, I had heard that they built a new one."

"Why would they build one here, though," Xenos asked, but they had finally arrived.

They all stopped in front of the large building, which resembled something closer to a farm or a miniature zoo. The outside walls were made of wood, and the roof looked like it was made of a thick straw, and was intertwined and strewn across the top of the building like a massive blanket. The doors themselves were made of glass, and the handles were made of bronze, and closely matched the color of the wood.

They walked in after Athaliah, and Malik and Xenos both watched in amusement at seeing all the different Pokémon. The windows showing the outer sections of the day care were made of a thick, double-paned glass, and they could clearly see all the Pokémon. Malik took notice to a few that were uncommon in Kanto: Kirlia, Shroomish, Hitmontop, and various others.

"Wow," Xenos shouted from a window to Malik's left, "Now that's an impressive Pokémon!"

Malik walked over to see which one he was talking about, but it became obvious as soon as he looked over. From its powerful tail to its spiked, rigid back, the Nidoking stood a whopping eight feet in height, and its girth was equally massive. Malik took note of its powerful jaws, and massive claws. Its horn was long as well, and came to a lethally sharp point at its tip. Using a small part of his power, Malik could sense that this Pokémon held tremendous strength, and its energy signature was quite impressive, streaming with violet light in the form of thick bubbles.

"Okay guys," Athaliah's voice echoed from behind them, "I'd like you to meet my friends, Poochyena and Swablu."

Malik and Xenos turned to take note of her Pokémon, and Xenos chuckled slightly. Athaliah's face grew agitated, and as she glared at him, he ceased immediately. Malik, however, had a keen eye for potentially strong Pokémon, and was studying the two in front of him for himself.

The Swablu was larger in size than average, and it had much thicker wings, and Malik guessed that it must be very close to evolution. He glanced down at her Poochyena, but this one was different. It held a lot of power, but its will was weak, and Malik sensed a lot of uncertainty in its energy.

"What's wrong with your Poochyena," Malik asked sincerely, "It doesn't seem too thrilled to see you again."

"Oh, he was a part of a litter of pups from my aunt. She's a breeder, and my grandma here is in charge of this day care. I used to volunteer here when I was younger."

"It's too bad you left your Pokémon in the hands of a day care," Xenos remarked, "If it were in the hands of a real trainer, it'd already be evolved by now."

Malik elbowed him in the side, and Athaliah was glaring angrily. The old woman looked up at Xenos with a glint in her eyes. Malik could sense something odd, but it wasn't dangerous, and she slowly made her way behind Xenos. She came up to his shoulders, and her thin, white hair was frizzing in its bun.

"So, you don't think my Pokémon are tough, eh," she asked abrubptly, and Xenos jumped out of his skin.

"Woah! You scared me, lady," he said in an annoyed voice, "and my Pokémon could beat your wimpy Pokémon any day!"

After agreeing to the challenge, Xenos and the old woman were in the back yard of the day care. The grass was embroidered with the symbol of a poke ball, and a fence kept the other Pokémon at bay as they watched with anticipation. The old woman smirked, and as she whistled, Athaliah's Poochyena came running over to her side.

"You will use only one Pokémon," the old woman known as Ezra began, "we will see if your boast is justified or not."

"Fine with me," Xenos said with a smirk, "I'll try not to hurt your little puppy too badly. Go, Arcanine!"

As Xenos' Arcanine came roaring out of its ball, it stopped its howling upon seeing the Poochyena. It looked from Xenos to Poochyena in confusion, and Malik chuckled slightly. Poochyena growled, but Arcanine just yawned at it, and went to sleep.

"Looks like your Arcanine wants a more challenging battle," Malik shouted from the fence.

"Arcanine, get up," Xenos shouted at the Pokémon, "We've got a battle to win here!"

"Your Pokémon are disobedient," Ezra stated, "Most likely the cause of poor training on your part. I assure you, that is not tolerated in my day care! Poochyena, bite attack now!"

Poochyena's nervousness seemed to become non-existent, and it rushed at Arcanine full force. Arcanine was still sleeping, and as Poochyena's jaws clamped down on its neck, it woke up immediately. It roared in pain as blood was drawn from the bite, but Poochyena was hanging on.

"As you can see," Ezra continued, "with proper training, even an inferior Pokémon can prove powerful. Poochyena, lets give 'em a nice crunch!"

Poochyena's eyes fell dark, and as its teeth were enveloped with dark energy, it clamped down even harder. Arcanine roared in pain, and was running and thrashing wildly. Even more blood was drawn, but finally Arcanine rolled over, and the body slam knocked off the dark dog. Arcanine was glaring down at the pup with a fierce rage, and began to build up flames in its mouth.

"Looks like your little pup is about to become chow," Xenos said with a chuckle.

"Don't be so sure," Ezra replied, "Poochyena, use Shadow Ball!"

Poochyena growled heavily as it gathered energy, and Athaliah was cheering from the fence. Poochyena's fur stood up, and became even more ruffled than before. It fired the shadow ball hard, and Arcanine's flamethrower attack fired as well.

Malik and the others watched in awe as the two attacks collided, and Malik was surprised to see the pup keeping pace with Arcanine's power. As the energy swelled rapidly, Arcanine ceased its attack to take in a breath, but the dark ball was still coming. It had doubled in size from absorbing the flames, and Arcanine was caught off guard. Poochyena howled loudly as the ball crashed into Xenos' Pokemon, and Arcanine went down hard.

"No way," Xenos shouted in disbelief, "How could we lose? How?"

"Having strength alone will only get you so far," Ezra replied, "Proper training will guarantee that you see many victories in battle, and your Pokémon will respect you more as a result."

Malik handed Athaliah twenty dollars, and he was actually surprised that he had lost the bet. He thought, even with training, that Poochyena would've lost, but it stood triumphant. Athaliah hopped over the fence, and ran over to Poochyena to congratulate it.

"Don't feel too bad," Malik said as he pat Xenos on the shoulder, "I'm sure you'll get the hang of training sooner or later."

Xenos huffed in protest, but Athaliah was preoccupied with her Poochyena, who was happily licking her cheeks. They left the day care happily, and the old woman waved them off. Before they left, Ezra had given Athaliah a gift, and with that they made their way outside. Malik froze as he saw a dark figure approaching them. He couldn't make out who it was at first, but as the figure drew closer, and Malik sensed Fakir's energy signature.

"Something's wrong," Malik said, and pushed the others towards a nearby building, "Get out of here, now!"

"What's going on," Athaliah asked, worried.

"Now," Malik demanded, "Leave! I'll catch up!"

As they ran into the building, Fakir came into view, but something was different about him. His eyes were glowing red, and he had strange markings all over his body. His muscles were bulging and veining rapidly, and Malik sensed an incredible darkness within his brother.

"I've finally found you," said the hulking figure, "It's taken me awhile to find you, but I finally did."

"Are you alright," Malik asked, "What happened to you?"

"Oh you mean this," Fakir said in a sarcastically sinister tone, "this is just my new and improved body, courtesy of Dakriel..."

"What did you do?"

"I am truly enlightened now," Fakir said, "I am now more powerful than any Pokedept in the world. More powerful even than you...Malik!"

Fakir rushed forward, and Malik found himself dodging as best he could. He was being backed away, and they neared the building where Xenos and Athaliah were waiting. Malik was having a hard time accessing his power, and Fakir finally gained an opening. He punched Malik's stomach hard, making him spit up blood, and round-house kicked his jaw.

"Fight me, brother," Fakir screamed in a crazed voice, "Show me that delicious energy!"

Malik struggled to get up, and Fakir rushed forward, and kneed his ribs hard. He picked up Malik by the neck, and began chuckling with a sinister grin. Malik finally became enraged, and managed to tap into his power. There was no trace of the voice, and his body glowed with white energy. Fakir's hand began burning as Malik exploded with power, and he dropped him, grasping his hand in pain.

"Back by popular demand," Malik said in a deepened voice, "time to go to sleep..."

"Yes that's it," Fakir said excitedly, "now the fun truly begins!"

They both rushed forward, and as their fists and legs clashed with tremendous force, their energy began to make the ground shake violently. Malik maneuvered, and as he blocked a jab from Fakir, Malik kicked up, and crushed his jaw. Fakir reeled back in pain, but Malik was still attacking. As his brother spit up blood, along with broken parts of his teeth, Malik plunged his hand into Fakir's chest.

Fakir's energy was immediately absorbed by Malik, and then he collapsed. Malik settled down, and was suddenly filled with a concern for his brother. The markings disappeared, and Malik knelt to check his pulse. He was still alive, but only barely. Malik could feel the power from his brother coursing through his body, and he began struggling to contain it.

Just in time, police and paramedics arrived on the scene, and Fakir was taken to a nearby hospital. The officer was attempting to speak to Malik, but the words were muffled, and Malik couldn't make out the sound. His heart beat was thundering through his ears, and he surged with red energy out of nowhere.

The power he felt was incredible, and his body felt as if it were ablaze. His mind was blackened, and he could no longer see his surroundings. Instead, he saw everything as energy, and he could make out only two streams. The white one he recognized as his own, while the other was red and fiery. He watched as the white energy formed into a Pidgeott, while the red energy formed into a Magmar.

Malik was incredibly confused, but knew that the energy forms were his and Fakir's. Suddenly, the two energies clashed, and in an incredible array of light, formed into the legendary Moltress. It screeched, bursting into flames, and flew into Malik's chest.

Suddenly, he was back to normal, and had awoke in the hospital. He looked around but there was no one around. The room seemed oddly familiar, and then everything began decaying rapidly. He finally woke up, and was screaming in a crazed roar.

"It's okay, you're okay," Athaliah's voice shouted as she and Xenos held him down.

He was truly awake this time, but had no memory of anything that had happened. Malik removed his gown from his chest, and saw the burns on his chest. They were in the form of a phoenix-like bird, and Malik knew it was representative of the power he now held. He sat up completely, and the other's were looking at him concerned.

"What happened," he asked as he rubbed his eyes.

"Well you were glowing red and floating," Xenos replied, "but then you just sort of collapsed."

"We were really worried about you, so we brought you here," Athaliah added, "You've been asleep for an entire day."

The nurse entered the room, and after a few more hours, Malik was allowed to leave the hospital. The memory of recent events flooded through his mind, but this was short-lived as a familiar sight approached them. A thin, blonde-haired woman with a microphone was being accompanied by a camera man, and they were running towards Malik excitedly.

"Roll the cameras," she shouted, and then faced the camera proudly, "Hi folks, Tracy Strauss here with yet another exciting news report. I'm standing in front of Cinnabar Memorial Hospital, where Malik, the champion of Palet Town, has finally emerged from his slumber."

She wheeled in place, and Malik thought she might fall for a moment. He stepped forward, preferring to get the interview over with, as opposed to arguing his way out of the situation. Her eyes gleamed happily, and then she continued speaking.

"Malik, tell us," she began, "how has your journey with your Pokémon been since we last saw you?"

"Well," he replied, "it's definitely been exciting so far, and my Pokémon have gotten a lot tougher since then."

"Now Malik, all of your fans are dying to know what new and exciting Pokémon you've encountered? Also, one fan was wondering if any of your Pokémon had evolved yet?"

"Oh definitely," Malik stated proudly, and he sent out all of his Pokémon, "As of now, my team is strong, and Abra finally evolved into a Kadabra a little while back."

"Let's get a close up of them really quick," Tracy declared, and the camera man followed her lead, "Wow folks, it would seem Malik definitely has a lot going for him and his Pokémon, and it's obvious that hard work and training have had an impressive impact on these magnificent creatures."

Tracy looked up, this time with a look of concern, and her questions continued:

"Malik, we recently heard from local police that you were violently attacked, can you shed any light on this rumor?"

"Well, uh," Malik paused, and thought for a moment, "The so called attack was merely my brother trying to play a prank on me. He was, after all, quite excited to see me after such a long time, and he wanted to make sure I had remained in top shape."

"We also heard rumors of flashing lights, and loud explosions," she continued, "any thoughts on that as well?"

"Well those were the police cars coming to the aid of what they thought was a citizen in danger, but I assure you, everything is under control. Me and my brother often play slightly too rough, and this isn't the first time we've wound up in a hospital because of it."

"Strong words coming from a loving brother," she proclaimed, and turned to face the cameras once again, "What an incredible display of affection from our favorite trainer, and with only two badges left before the Pokémon league, our hero looks to be in great pace with his training! Tune in next time for yet another exciting review, and remember: You heard it first on Channel 12 News!"

After she finished her report, the reporter thanked Malik for yet another interview, and left with her camera man. They made their way to the docks, but remembered that the SS Anne had sunk. Sitting on a nearby bench, Malik tried to ignore the burning in his chest, and then Xenos spoke.

"Great," he complained, "Now I'm stuck here with you two idiots. How could this day possibly be any worse?"

"We could be dead," Malik replied in a sarcastic tone.

They sat for a moment, and enjoyed the ocean's cool breeze. Malik couldn't remember the last time they had just sat and enjoyed the scenery of Kanto's natural beauty. As the wind blew, and the waves crashed upon the shores, they tried to think of what they would do next.


	28. Chapter 28

_**Ch. 28: Night of the Houndoom**_

Malik, Athaliah, and Xenos had spent the rest of the day roaming the island, and managed to find a few good shops to resupply themselves at. It was now dark out, and since they hadn't found a motel, they were forced to camp at the base of the volcano. Umbreon had nuzzled its way in-between Malik and Athaliah, and Xenos was close by. They were all snoozing soundly, until a howl echoed through the night sky.

Malik was the only one who had awoken, and he sat up with a grumble. The sound alone hadn't startled him, but rather it was the nightmare he was having that was amplified by the sound. The next sound he heard was the pattering of paws on the ground rushing past them, though he could not make out the dark shapes well enough to determine what they were. Looking down, Malik saw Umbreon sound asleep, and even when Malik rolled him over, the moonlight Pokémon could not be awakened.

Malik reached for his white, cargo pants, put them on, and then sent out Houndoom. Upon arrival, Houndoom was immediately on high alert, and then the howl echoed again. Houndoom began growling deeply, and Malik knelt to pat him on the head.

"Come on, Houndoom," he said, "Let's go find whoever's making all that noise and silence them, shall we?"

He pat Houndoom on the head once more, and then the black dog took off. Malik had ran with Houndoom plenty of times, but the Pokémon had never been in such a hurry, even when they raced. Only stopping occasionally to sniff the air, Houndoom seemed to be bolting up the face of the volcano, and finally came to a halt at the edge of a clearing. What Malik saw he would not soon forget.

There was an entire pack of Houndooms, and Malik guessed that their numbers could easily range from twenty to thirty dogs altogether. They were all about the same size, with the males being slightly larger, and with longer horns. They were all gathered, and it seemed that the males were battling for dominance. To Malik's right, he noticed a much older Houndoom staring at them, and it began to howl loudly.

All of the other Houndooms ceased their activities, and were now glaring at the trainer and his Pokémon. Malik froze, but his Houndoom was glaring right back. For a while, none of them moved, and the tension could be felt with a thick aura streaming from any given Pokémon there. The old Houndoom struggled to stand up, but suddenly one of the younger males rushed forward. In a matter of seconds, the old Houndoom was flung off the side of the volcano. Malik watched as it plummeted to the bottom, bouncing off the protruding rocks with heavy thuds.

The younger Houndoom waited for it to reach the bottom of the volcano, and then howled even louder than the older one had. Malik's Houndoom growled deeply, and began to howl as well. None of the others made any sound, nor did they move an inch. The wild Houndoom glared, and stepped forward imposingly. Malik's Houndoom didn't back down, however, and stepped forward as well. Malik, having studied this Pokémon with great interest as a boy, had a suspicion of what was taking place.

It occurred to him that the old Houndoom must have been their pack leader, until recently it was retired, and that they were now competing for dominance. What Malik couldn't understand completely, however, was why his Houndoom had taken such an interest. Suddenly, there was movement from the pack, and a female stepped forward. Malik could see that, to the other males, she must have been the pride of the pack.

Her horns, although they were short, were sharp and curled neatly, and her sparkling, blue coat shimmered in the moon light. Malik sensed his Houndoom's energy rise dramatically, and he chuckled. Looking down, however, he noticed that his Houndoom and the wild one were still glaring at each other with ferocity. The younger male stepped into the circle that the pack had formed, and challenged Malik's Houndoom with a spark of embers.

"Are you sure this is what you want," Malik asked, looking down at his Houndoom.

His Pokémon looked up at him, and with a nod, stepped into the circle. Although he was sad to see his Pokémon return to the wild, he knew he had trained the dark Pokémon well, and he watched as the battle ensued. The younger Houndoom and Malik's both roared and howled loudly, and then the fight was on.

The wild Houndoom rushed first, and they were both locked horn-to-horn. Malik's was struggling at first, but noticing a part of his personality in the dog, Houndoom smirked and pushed twice as hard. The wild one skidded backwards, and then spout flames. A thick, orange and red flame shot forward, but Malik's Pokémon didn't budge. The attack was a direct hit, but Malik's Houndoom was unscathed.

A flame built in its mouth, but this fire was a dark blue, and the base of the flame was black. Thick flames burst outwards, and the wild Houndoom was now on the evasive front. it was dodging left and right, narrowly avoiding the flames, and then it was finally cornered. A circle of rich, black fire had ensued around the wild dog, and Malik's Houndoom was stepping forward menacingly. Growling heavily, it seamlessly passed through the flames, and backed the wild Houndoom against the wall of the volcano.

Malik was watching proudly, and the wild dog finally submitted, and tucked its tail under its legs. Malik's Houndoom let out a vibrant howl, and the rest of the pack followed suit. The defeated Hounoom looked at Malik's for permission before it passed, and trotted over to the female. The shiny Houndoom, however, seemed more interested in Malik's. Houndoom returned to Malik's side, and was nuzzling and licking his hand.

"Well boy," he said with tears filling his eyes, "It would seem I trained you well, and I know you've got what it takes to lead this pack to greater adventures."

His voice had become shaky, and he looked at the Houndoom pack, who was watching expectantly. His Pokémon was looking at him with a sad look, but behind it, Malik could see that it longed for the wild. It whimpered, and nuzzled Malik's hand once more.

"I remember when you were just a mutt," he added, "scrounging through my bag in the Viridian Forest. Now look at you; Houndoom, the pack leader," he paused for a moment, "Go on, go follow your own dreams. I'll never forget ya, boy."

Malik's Houndoom howled loudly, then trotted over to the female, and they sniffed each other curiously. As Malik watched, Houndoom stomped, then reared back with a mighty set of barks. All the others barked as well, and the pack took off. Tears were filling Malik's eyes with pride, and he made his way back to the camp site.

By the time he reached the base of the volcano, the sun had come up. Athaliah and Xenos had already woken up, and Xenos was cooking something that made Malik's stomach growl. Noticing that he had cried, Athaliah walked over to Malik concerned.

"What's wrong," she asked, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine," he said calmly, "It's just Houndoom is gone."

"What happened," Xenos shouted, and made the pot he was cooking with burst with a thick liquid, "Whoops..."

"It's nothing bad," Malik added, "He just found a pack of his own. I let 'em go."

Athaliah looked at him with slight worry, but then smiled and hugged him tightly. Malik had been caught off guard but hugged her back. Xenos had apparently gotten done with cooking, because he cleared his throat vigorously, and began eating. Malik sat down, but before he could eat any of his stew, Umbreon plunged its muzzle into Malik's bowl. Athaliah and Xenos chuckled, but Malik groaned with minor aggravation.

"Umbreon, that's my food," he said with a sigh, "I would've just made you a bowl."

Umbreon ignored him, and kept eating, and Malik gave up. If his Pokémon was anything like him, he knew he couldn't get in the way of a good meal, no matter what he tried. He made himself a bowl, and Xenos began to speak.

"So what's our plan to get off this island," he said, finishing up the last of his food.

"Well," Athaliah replied, "I have Gyarados, and so do you, so maybe we could ride on their backs?"

"Won't work," Malik retorted, "For one, Gyarados are too restless to travel that far, and Xenos' doesn't exactly listen to him yet."

"Oh forget you," Xenos said flipping Malik off, "We both know the reason it doesn't obey me is because _you _evolved it in the first place. You're still right, though, they would never make the journey."

"I have an idea," Malik said assuredly, noticing Xenos and Athaliah's looks of hopelessness, "This route," Malik said, pointing north of the island, "is the shortest way to the mainland. It's also the most dangerous, because there's said to be a ton of storms there."

"Well that's great," Xenos exclaimed with sarcasm, "So where's our boat, captain obvious?"

"Well," Malik said smirking, "You're forgetting something. We both have our dragon Pokémon," he said, and then looked at Athaliah, "and your Swampert wouldn't have any problem navigating harsh waters, after all Kanto's tides are nothing compared to the Hoenn region."

"Yeah," she said, looking towards her sack that held her Pokémon, "Swampert's pretty amazing."

"So let's go," Xenos said, "I mean there's no sense in hanging around here, right?"

Malik stood up, and as he took one last look at the medical center holding his brother, they made their way to the shores. They neared the edge of the water, but Kaylah was standing in their way. She looked extremely pissed off, and was glaring at Malik.

"You," she shouted, "You ruined everything! I had all the evidence I needed, I had it all! I would've brought Giovanni Jr. down! But no, you had to go and play super hero!"

"I did what i had to do," Malik replied with a stern look, "They took my friends and my Pokémon. Evidence or not, lives were at stake."

"I don't care," she shouted, "About you, or your stupid friends and your Pokémon! Because of you, my Ranger license was revoked! Get that? You cost me everything! Prepare for battle!"

She sent out her Nidoqueen and Marowak, and Xenos stepped forward. Malik put his arm up, and gave Xenos a stern look. Xenos nodded, and Malik sent out Scyther as Umbreon stepped forward. Umbreon roared loudly, along with the other three Pokémon. The dark Pokémon rushed forward, and Malik's Scyther was glaring at Marowak. Kaylah's Nidoqueen lashed out with its tail, but Umbreon jumped up with ease.

Marowak tossed its bone, and Scyther rushed forward. The attack missed entirely, and Scyther slashed Marowak with intense force. Large cuts appeared all over its chest, and one massive crack tore over the right eye-hole of the skull helmet. Umbreon had spent this time gathering energy, and fired a shadow ball at the Nidoqueen at point blank range. Umbreon landed, but Nidoqueen was pushing its attack back.

With a mighty roar, Nidoqueen redirected the dark ball, and it went flying up in the air. Umbreon had anticipated this, and slammed into the poison Pokémon's stomach hard. It lunged from Marowak to Nidoqueen with a deadly slash similar to its night slash ability. Scyther was working along side, and was slashing at the two Pokémon as well. Both Umbreon and Scyther landed at Malik's side, and for a moment, none of the Pokémon moved.

Suddenly, Nidoqueen and Marowak collapsed, and with a heavy thud, they hit the ground. As Kaylah recalled her Pokémon, Malik's Scyther began glowing brightly. Xenos and Athaliah looked over at Malik's Scyther with confusion, but then noticed his posture. His head was down, with his arms and eyes glowing white hot. His right hand was pointing its palm at the Scyther, and Xenos realized what was happening.

They all watched as Scyther's green body hardened, and was replaced with a dark red coat of steel. Its scythes formed into massive, rounded claws, and it grew slightly taller, with a straightened posture. Finally, it ceased evolving, and along with Malik, stopped glowing. It fluttered its metal-coated wings, and was standing proudly before the female trainer.

"No way," she said in shock, "How is that possible?"

"Fuck you, that's how," Malik replied, trying to mask his exhaustion with sarcasm, "With power like mine, I can never lose. This battle is pointless."

"You win for now," Kaylah said fiercely, "but I'll get stronger, and I'll be back. You haven't seen the last of me, Malik!"

She ran off, and disappeared into the volcano. Xenos shrugged, and stepped forward to admire Malik's Scizor. It was towering over the three of them, with Malik being the tallest human, and it was watching Xenos carefully.

"That's such an awesome ability," Xenos stated happily, "to make your Pokémon evolve at will; now _that's _a useful skill."

"It takes a lot out of me," Malik said as he sat down, "It _is _useful though."

Scizor jabbed a few times, and was admiring its new form with gratitude. It looked over at Malik, and as it cheered happily, Malik returned it. Athaliah had been playing with her Poochyena, but as Malik stood up, they faced the waters of the ocean. Calling out their Pokémon, Athaliah rode on her Swampert, and Xenos and Malik were both on their Dratinis, and they set out for the mainland.


	29. Chapter 29

_**Ch. 29: Power Struggle**_

Malik, Xenos, and Athaliah had been surfing for a little over half an hour now, and the weather was magnificently sunny. Malik and Xenos had been silent, however, Athaliah had reached into her bag and taken out the gift she had received from the Pokémon Daycare back at Cinnabar Island. The box was basic cardboard, and it felt light in her hands. Malik and Xenos were both watching expectantly, and then Athaliah spoke.

"I had almost forgotten about this thing," she said as she opened the top of the box.

Whatever was inside was shimmering with a multitude of colors, and it peaked everyone's interest. She reached inside, and then revealed a brilliantly shiny scale. Xenos sighed with boredom, but Malik knew exactly what they were looking at.

"What do ya think this is for," Athaliah said with a confused stare.

"That's a Dragon Scale," Malik shouted with excitement, "Wow, you're lucky! I've read that no one has seen one for at least five years. That's an amazing gift."

"A Dragon Scale," she asked, "Well that's nice, but what do I do with it?"

"You're kidding right," Xenos piped up, "You mean you've seriously never thought of evolving your Seadra into a Kingdra?"

"Oh, I didn't know Seadra could evolve," she replied sincerely.

"I can't believe what I'm hearing," Xenos shouted with frustration, "So you probably need a tutorial on how to evolve it as well right? Well, you have to send it through a trade machine while it holds that thing."

"I have to trade it? That seems kind of dumb," she said.

"Unfortunately," Xenos continued, "We're miles out from shore, so that won't be happening any time soon. However, Malik might be willing to help, assuming he can produce the exact type of radiation required to induce a trade evolution."

"Well technically," Malik began, "I could. I mean, after all, I made Scyther evolve into Scizor, and that's another trade evolution I know of. I'd be willing to give it a try."

"Well, what are we waiting for," Athaliah shouted as she sent out her Seadra, "Let's get evolving!"

Seadra came out of its ball, but it was swimming around happily, instead of following Athaliah's commands to stay still. She grew aggravated, and finally yelled at the top of her lungs. Seadra came bubbling over, and was looking at her with a sad face. She smirked, and leaned down while holding the Dragon Scale in front of Seadra.

"I hear," she told it, "That you can use this to evolve. What do ya say Seadra? Do you want to become a mighty Kingdra?"

Seadra's feelings had been hurt, and although the thought of evolving appealed to it, it responded by squirting water into Athaliah's face. Swampert began to growl deeply, and Seadra backed off. As its trainer wiped her face off, Seadra swam over and was looking at the Dragon Scale with great interest.

"So, Malik," Athaliah continued, "Wanna give it a try?"

Malik nodded, and as Athaliah gave Seadra the scale, he tried to channel his energy. He was doing good at first, and managed to lock on to Seadra's swirling, blue energy aura. Just as he was about to induce the evolution, however, something else was seeping its way into the energy.

Malik felt his heart sink randomly, and a roaring screech tore through his mind. He lost focus, but it seemed he had done just enough to succeed. Seadra was now glowing brilliantly, and began to change. Suddenly, it began to pour down rain, but it wasn't coming from Seadra, and now all three of them could hear the loud roar from under the water.

The sky had grown dark with storm clouds, and the rain was getting heavier, and more intense. The water was growing more violent, and red light was issuing upwards from the depths. Malik could feel a massive power approaching them, and it was just about to surface.

"Where did this storm come from," Xenos shouted, "this is too much for our Pokémon!"

Seadra's form had finally finished changing, and although the storm was insanely powerful, Kingdra was unaffected by it. Swampert, and Malik and Xenos' dragon Pokémon, were all only slightly affected by the waves. The water underneath them began to bubble viciously, and a massive, blue Pokémon came roaring out of the water. Malik realized that this must have been what he felt interrupting his energy before, and they were staring down the legendary water Pokémon with horror.

"What is that thing," Athaliah squealed with excitement, "It's beautiful!"

"That's Kyogre," Xenos shouted, "but what's it doing here in Kanto?"

Suddenly, a hysterical laugh could be heard from above, and Malik sensed a familiar energy signature. A massive green dragon roared from over their heads, and lightning began to strike down from above. The massive Rayquaza was swirling above them, but Malik was shocked entirely to see Dakriel riding on its back.

"I believe I can answer that question," Dakriel shouted from atop the massive dragon.

"I was wondering when you were going to come out of hiding," Malik shouted over the roar of the storm, "Looks like your training wasn't cutting it, so you turned to a legendary to seal the deal."

"Oh, you must mean my Rayquaza," he shouted back, "I'm not this Pokemon's trainer. It simply listens to me because it respects my vision for the world, just as Kyogre will soon come to."

"Never," Malik shouted, and his energy rose sharply.

The three trainers glared, but Malik had begun to glow, and his Dratini was glowing as well. His hair turned completely black, and the weather seemed to go around him, instead of hitting him like the others. A large bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, and struck Malik hard in the chest. His voice deepened as he spoke, and he was hovering above the water.

"The legendary Pokémon must not be moved from their natural environments," he said in a deep voice, "The natural order must not be disturbed."

He pointed his hand, and his Dratini fired a massive hyper beam at the Rayquaza. Rayquaza roared with rage, and swirled down out of the sky to attack. Xenos dove into the water, and his Dratini fired a beam of its own. Distracted, the legendary Rayquaza was hit hard, and crashed into Kyogre. Kyogre, confused by the conflict, formed a massive whirlpool, and all the trainers and their Pokémon began to be swept under the water.

Malik was still unaffected, but the battle with Rayquaza was taking all of his attention. Finally, Kingdra had had enough, and rushed at the Kyogre with tremendous force. The legendary Pokémon was too busy whipping up the tides to notice, and Kingdra slammed into it hard. Kyogre reared back in pain, but then roared and glared at the dragon Pokémon.

Rayquaza came roaring out of the water at Malik and Xenos' Dratinis, but they managed to dodge it. the waters were returning to their normal, stormy state, and Xenos tried to catch his breath. Dakriel had fallen off the legendary dragon, but Malik's energy steered him to deal with the Pokémon first.

Kyogre sprayed a massive blast of water at Athaliah's Kingdra, but it merely swam through it, and again landed a direct hit on Kyogre. Although it was not afraid, Kyogre decided to return to the sea, feeling no need to continue its attack. Rayquaza, however, was completely enraged, but the two Dratinis were putting up more than just a fight.

With one powerful attack after another, they were damaging the massive dragon tremendously, but then it roared with intense ferocity, and struck down at them. Both Dratinis were hit hard, and they were floating limply in the water. Rayquaza's assault wasn't done yet though, and it roared out from under the water, striking them a second time. Malik and Xenos were almost swept away by the sheer force of the onslaught, but they managed to stay afloat.

Kingdra had loyally returned to Athaliah, and both Swampert and Kingdra were keeping her safe at a distance. Rayquaza roared down from the sky again, but Malik began to glow once more. This time, both Dratinis were glowing as well, and they began to change. They grew longer and longer, and their spiked fin-ears grew feathers. The tips of their tails dawned two pearls, and they were both now towering over the water's surface.

The round, white sphere on their heads formed into pearls as well, and they were the deep blue color of the ocean. Malik's Dragonair was a brighter blue color than Xenos', but they were both about the same length. Rayquaza roared with even more ferocity, and dove at them once more. Both Dragonairs roared back, and upon command from their trainers, fired a spray of neon lights from their foreheads.

The joint aurora beams were more than enough to fend off the legendary dragon, and Dakriel was left alone, floating helplessly in the water. Malik's energy settled, and now only his right arm was glowing. He remembered the first time he had met Dakriel, and how this would-be ally had turned on him the moment he had the opportunity. All that was left now, was the hunger for his power.

It felt almost the same as when Malik had fought his brother; once his mind shut out their relationship as siblings, all he could think of was consuming the energy. He had refrained from taking his brother's life, however, realizing that his power had been the cause of his insanity, but he could not be certain for Dakriel's fate.

Malik hovered just above the water's surface as the rain slowly disappeared, and made his way closer to Dakriel. Feeling his aura, Malik sensed an intense cold feeling blowing through him, and he felt arctic winds around him. He closed his eyes, and when they opened again, they were glowing bright blue.

"No, wait," Dakriel pleaded, "Don't take them, don't take my powers!"

"You no longer have any need for them," Malik replied in a mellow voice, "Your powers will be put to better use."

In an instant, Dakriel had been lifted, and pulled to Malik's hand with pure, psychic energy, and Malik could now sense his soul's core. The energy swirled from a bright blue to a teal color, then to turquoise. The energy moved much like the northern winds of the Kanto region itself, and formed a small blizzard. It finally settled, and Malik watched it form into an Articuno.

The majestic, legendary, ice bird screeched loudly, then flew into Malik's chest. His energy burst with an intense cold energy, and he was jolted back to reality. Still holding Dakriel in his hand, he tried to let go, but his energy wouldn't let him. He watched in horror as Dakriel froze completely, and Malik was finally able to release his grip.

The frozen look of horror on Dakriel's face was still there, and they watched helplessly, his frozen corpse sank to the depths of the ocean floor below. Malik could feel both Dakriel and Fakir's energy flowing through him, but he would be forever haunted by this memory. As the group set sail once more, none of them spoke a word, and the silence settled in.


	30. Chapter 30

_**Ch. 30: Hometown Hero**_

The recent battle had taken its toll on the trio, and Malik's mind was heavy with the memory of Dakriel's death. In all the time he had spent mastering his abilities, he now feared that there were certain aspects of it he would not be able to control. His mind was racing with the memory of trying to release Dakriel, but the power simply forced him to hold on. Why had the same not happened with Fakir, he wondered, and would it be the same for whoever the other Pokedept was?

The waters of the ocean were growing less violent, and Athaliah knew they were nearing the shores of the mainland. She wasn't sure how she felt about what had happened, nor did she care to think about it. She had yet to return Kingdra to its ball, but it seemed to be enjoying the open water tremendously. She realized she couldn't remember the last time it had been in so much water. It was much larger now, and Swampert seemed slightly shorter in comparison.

Xenos yawned loudly, breaking the silence, but no one spoke for some time. He had a way of not letting his emotions cloud his judgement, nor did he linger on thoughts such as Malik and Athaliah. Xenos had spent this time contemplating what the last two gyms would bring, and pondered what challenges awaited. Finally, the silence weighed on his mind, and he lost it.

"Would you two stop moping around," he urged in frustration, "Seriously, it's a major drag."

Malik and Athaliah looked over, but their minds were heavy. Malik felt guilty for what had happened, and thought perhaps he should at least try to defend himself. After all, he had meant only to take Dakriel's powers, not kill him.

"I'm not really sure what happened back there," Malik began, "Whatever took over me, it wouldn't let me go."

"It's okay, I know what happened," Xenos replied, excited to finally have conversation, "Ya killed the guy. He was a big jerk anyways, he probably deserved it."

"Nobody deserves to die like that," Athaliah shouted, "Right or wrong, he was a human being. He had no more right to die than anyone else."

"Will you wake up," Xenos shouted, "The guy came after us with a Rayquaza, we're lucky to be alive!"

"Yes, we _are _lucky, we're lucky your attitude hasn't gotten us killed yet!"

"Stop it, both of you," Malik shouted, "The last thing we need to be doing is fighting among ourselves."

Malik's words had brought the argument to a screeching halt, but the tension was thicker than ever. Even Kingdra had stopped playing around, and the Pokémon just swam in silence. Athaliah and Xenos jerked their heads away, but they were now closer to the shores. Malik was the first one to get off of his Pokémon, with Xenos and then Athaliah following close behind. He knew they had arrived in Pallet Town, but he hardly recognized it.

There were shops and merchandise stands everywhere, and so many people that Malik and the others had a hard time moving through the crowd. A large banner hung in-between two houses that read: "Malik, Champion of Pallet Town!" He finally released Umbreon from its ball, and that's when someone cheered out loud.

"Hey, it's him," the balding man shouted, "It's Malik!"

The crowd suddenly stopped moving, and everyone stared at him and his friends. Malik's heart sank, and he now realized what he had walked into. Athaliah stepped forward, and nudged Malik's ribs. Xenos also took a step forward, and as he smirked, he placed an arm on Malik's shoulder.

Malik heard whispers begin to ring through the crowd, and it grew louder and louder. People were now walking forward to greet him, but Malik was getting scared. In a matter of seconds, he was being asked for autographs, or to take pictures, and then someone made a huge mistake. A younger trainer had noticed Malik's Umbreon, and tried to pick it up.

"No wait, you shouldn't do tha-" Malik had been too late, and Umbreon growled deeply.

As the trainer waved Umbreon around like a toy, Umbreon began to glow, and Malik saw its fur stand up. He knew it was Umbreon's poison fur technique, and he tried to rush over. Again he was too late, and the boys hands bled as he dropped Umbreon. This kid couldn't have been older than twelve, Malik guessed, but he had tried to warn him. The boy's mother ran over, and things took a turn for the worst.

"How dare you," she shouted, pointing a finger at Malik and Umbreon, "Some trainer you are, your Pokémon was way out of control. You're lucky I don't call the police and have them take it away!"

She kicked Umbreon hard in the ribs, and Malik became enraged. Xenos and Athaliah rushed forward, and everyone stopped moving. Time itself seemed to stand still, and Malik felt his energy flowing with intense force. He stopped and looked around, but everything was standing still. The only other life form moving was Umbreon. As soon as he realized what had happened, he made his move.

He walked cautiously among the frozen scenery, and made his way over to the woman. He turned her to her right, facing her son, and leaned her back slightly. He walked over to Xenos and Athaliah, and moved them back so they wouldn't hit anything. He focused his energy once again, and everything was back to normal. Simultaneously, Athaliah and Xenos hit air with their fists, and the woman kicked her son in the face, and then fell backwards.

The entire crowd roared with laughter at the blundering mother, and her son was now crying even louder. Finally, the crowd returned to normal, and Malik and his friends were left alone. Malik knelt to check on Umbreon, but it just cheered happily. Then Xenos looked up, and noticed a slightly older woman with cute glasses running over.

"Whoah," he said suddenly, "She's cute, must be another fan of yours, Malik."

"Who," Malik said as he looked up.

As soon as he saw who it was, he smiled. It had been so long since he had seen Professor Oak, and she looked slightly aged. She was still as beautiful as he remembered, but then he remembered her nagging behaviour. She finally made it over to them, and her face was riddled with joy.

"Malik, I'm so glad to see you," she said, "Did Fakir manage to make it to you at Cinnabar Island?"

"You don't know the half of it," he replied as he stood back up.

"Oh, I see," she said, "Come with me to the lab, there's something I want to show you."

Her voice was more serious when she said those words, and the trio looked at each other with curiosity. They followed her to the lab, and Malik became even more curious about what she had for him. In no time, they were in front of the laboratory, and Malik took in its beauty.

The building was impressively larger than it had been when he left, and it had gone through a few changes that Malik noticed. The outside walls had been painted white, and had a neat, swirling design of black and grey colors along the bottom edge. The doors were now automatic, and had a trainer detection system built in. As soon as they entered, the machine buzzed in a voice, and identified each one of them.

"Now entering: Trainer-Malik, Gym Leader-Athaliah, Trainer-Xenos," it said in a mechanical voice.

Athaliah and Xenos had been impressed by this, and to Malik, it was a sign that all of his hard work had not gone to waste. The professor made her way over to her office, and took out a dusty, green box. The ribbon looked ancient, and the red silk of it had been tied tightly at the top. Malik noticed a note, and he was now suspicious of its contents.

"Your father told me to keep this until you were ready," she said, "He gave me specific instructions to wait until your powers surfaced."

"Wait," Malik said, "You knew? About me and my powers? You knew this whole time?"

"Yes," she replied, "I'm afraid so. I wanted to tell you, but your father-"

"Forget him," Malik shouted in frustration, "He had his secrets, and look where it got him: killed! Six feet under, that's where it got him! You should've told me!"

"I-I'm sorry," she said looking down, "I just didn't want to bring you any more pain than you already had."

"Fine," Malik said after a deep exhale, "What's done is done. So what's in the box?"

"I don't know," she said as she handed it to him, "I guess you'll have to open it and find out."

Malik took the box hastily, and as he shook it, it felt light. He dusted off the top of it, and read the note that was attached:

"To Malik, Love Dad,"

"If you are reading this, than it means I have failed..."

There was nothing more to the note, and Malik opened the box impatiently. He tore the dusty wrapping paper off, and both Athaliah and Xenos coughed uncontrollably, then he took the top off. There was nothing inside except for a disc, which was contained in a plastic box. The only words that could be seen scribbled on it read: "The Truth Behind Truths."

"What do ya think that means," the professor asked curiously as they all gazed at it.

"Let's play it," Malik said decisively, "No use sitting around gawking at it."

The professor brought it over to her computer, and inserted the disc. After loading for a moment, the monitor whirred and hummed, and then a familiar face popped onto the screen. Malik and his father looked a lot alike, except for nose and ears, which Malik shared with his mother. The man was much thinner, however, and wore glasses. His lab coat hung loosely on his puny arms, and as he made sure the camera was on, he began to speak.

"This is Doctor Hirasaka," his father said facing the camera, "for years now, I've studied the effects of a new form of energy being streamed from Pokémon. I've been assigned to test what effect it has on human beings, and to try to find a way to use it."

The camera turned automatically, and a male Nidoran could be seen in the cage. Malik recognized it as the one his brother, Fakir, had first tried to capture. It looked like it was in bad shape, and it was weak.

"I'm very close," he said into the camera, then his voice deepened, and his eyes turned black, "So...very...close."

The film skipped, but the scenery looked about the same. The Nidoran now looked even worse, but so did the doctor. He was shaking violently, and his eyes had become darker. The iris of both eyes had turned red, and his eyes were bloodshot.

"This is Doctor Hirasaka," he began, "and I've discovered the effects of this energy. It seems the energy has spawned new abilities inside me, the human host. I can now perceive things from the Pokemon's point of view, but there's more."

He turned along with the camera, and pointed his hand at the Nidoran. His energy glowed black, and the Nidoran also began to change. In seconds, it evolved, and the Nidorino was now sitting in the steel cage. The doctor turned to the camera once again, and had a sinister look on his face.

He grinned with an evil smirk, and pointed his hand again. The same black energy swelled, and the Nidorino once again began to evolve. It grew taller and larger, and the horn on its head extended to a much sharper point. The spikes on its back multiplied, and as it stood up on its hind legs, the cage was now barely large enough to hold it.

"As you can see," the doctor continued in his deep, insane tone, "My powers go much further than perception. I can actually induce evolution in any form. I have passed this ability to my offspring...Giovanni must never know, he can never discover my children..."

He looked down and then the video ended, or so they thought. It buzzed back on once more, and the doctor's lab had been trashed. He looked crazed, and his face showed signs of insanity.

"This is Doctor Hirasaka," he said, and then shook his head as if to get something off his face, "The Nidoking escaped-NO IT DIDN'T!- ugh! It destroyed the lab, and now it's gone. TELL THE TRUTH! Okay...okay...I let it go, I let it out of its cage...Good...HAHAHAHAHA!"

The video was cut off, and the last scene showed Malik's father struggling with the camera, and then it was over. They all stood in silence, and stared at Malik. He felt a mixture of pain, rage, and sadness. His father's power had drove him insane, but would that be the same for Malik?

"I'm so sorry," Professor Oak began, "I had no idea that was what he wished for you to see."

"It's fine," Malik said in a whisper, "I guess I'll just have to do something about these powers when the time is right."

"Actually," Oak continued, "I did some research, especially after your brother came to me. He spoke of a cult that approached him, and said they asked about you."

She handed him a file, and continued:

"I did some research on this cult, and apparently they've been around since Mt. Moon was created. They believe in something called the 'Poke-Essence.' According to them, there are certain people who hold incredible power, and it has something to do with an energy given off by Pokémon."

"I've seen this energy first hand," Malik said, which caused everyone to look at him curiously.

"When I go into that state," he continued, "I see the energy of all things, but mostly people and Pokémon. Their energy flows uniquely, even when it's the same type of Pokémon."

Malik opened the file, and saw a vast amount of images. There was everything from cave drawings to large buildings, one of which he recognized instantly. This cult had been around for years. Then he saw a picture of Dakriel with the elders, which had been taken near a Pokémon center. His mind flashed back to when he had ended the Pokedept's life. That's when he saw something interesting.

There was an entire bibliography written about a man with abilities. He had claimed to absorb the powers of countless Pokedepts, but in doing so, he was forced to kill them against his will. He went on to describe their energy and deaths, and Malik concluded that they died according to their power. His eyes grew wide, and he bolted over to the phone.

"Malik, what is it," Oak asked.

"It's Fakir," Athaliah shouted with sudden realization, "When he found Malik, his power was already consuming his mind, and Malik took them away."

"I don't see what the big deal is," Xenos blurted out, "I mean he's fine right? He's in the hospital now."

"The hospital," Oak yelled out loud, but the phone's screen came on, and the nurse immediately recognized Malik.

"Malik, we're glad to see you're safe. I'm guessing you're calling to check on your brother?"

"Yes," Malik said abruptly, "Is he alright? It's important."

"I'm afraid it's not good," the nurse continued, "We can't explain it, but he seems to be...burning. Hold on, I'll transfer your call to his room."

The screen went black, and they could all hear the machines of the hospital beeping in the background. Malik's heart sank, and he realized that hs worst fears must have been realized. The screen lit up once again, and Malik was now on the phone with Fakir. He looked as if he was on fire, but there was none to be seen. His skin was peeling away and boiling, and parts of it were turning black.

"Hey, little bro," he said in a raspy voice, "how was the trip back home?"

"Good," Malik said in a shaky voice, and he cleared his throat to speak again, "How are you? Are-are you going to be okay?"

"Well," Fakir replied, looking down at his body, "I don't think there's anything they can do. They're calling it spontanious combustion."

"I'm so sorry," Malik said as tears filled his eyes with rage, "If I had known-"

"You're sorry," Fakir shouted, almost laughing, "I haven't felt this good in years. Thank you for finally ridding me of that curse."

His brother tried to say something else, but he started coughing loudly. Malik watched in horror as a smile cracked across his brother's face, and his body turned into a solid black glass. The nurses were panicking and screaming, and the phone was cut off. Malik's tears were running down his face now, and he despised himself for what had happened.

"Malik," Athaliah said, reaching for his shoulder.

"Forget it," Malik said blowing off her shoulder, "I'm just a parasite. It's probably best if everyone just leaves me alone."

He stormed towards the exit, but Professor Oak stood in his way. He noticed the look she was giving him, and until now he had all but forgotten it. She looked both sad for him, and mad at him. It was so confusing that he lost track of his own emotions. She raised a hand, and slapped him so hard he whirled in place.

"I wasn't finished talking," she shouted at the dazed Malik, "There's still something I need to show you."

"You could've just said something," Malik said rubbing his jaw.

He followed the professor back over to her desk, and she opened the file he had left on the table. She pulled out a red piece of paper, and handed it to him abruptly. He took it, looked at her, and then began to read it.

"This is the reason behind all of this," she began, "The cult, your father's research, even your powers. It's all because of that."

"A legend," Malik said incredulously.

"What is it," Athaliah and Xenos said in unison.

"It says here," Malik began, "that out of all those gifted with this talent, only a select few are imbued with what the ancients refer to as the Legend Core. These few have the ability to summon the legendary Pokémon of any region, and their souls are blessed with the essence of fire, ice, and thunder."

"Well," Xenos interrupted, "I think we know which ones were fire and ice."

"There's more," Malik continued as Athaliah shot Xenos a glare, "The fourth one is said to be stronger than all three combined, and has the ability to steal their powers without the need for a ritual."

"That's you," Professor Oak declared, "You are the fourth."

"I still don't get it," Malik replied, "What does any of this mean? Why _should _I steal their powers, I mean I have my own. Maybe Dakriel was bad, but my brother wasn't, so why?"

"Continue reading," Oak replied.

"On this day," Malik continued, "If the chosen one does not contain the power of four within, the legendary Pokémon will become restless, and war will be waged on the lands. Only with this power can our world be saved from certain destruction."

"That sounds bad," Xenos said.

"No shit," Athaliah scolded, "Malik already has two out of the three, but who's the third one?"

"You honestly don't already know," Oak asked incredulously, "Blaire, or the Crimson Jewel as her alias permits, was Dakriel's twin sister. What it doesn't say is that, though usually completely, these select few are normally all related. These ancients used to actually breed them, and when the time came, they were forced to sacrifice themselves for the greater good."

Malik put down the file, and sat down in a nearby chair. Umbreon walked over to him, and nuzzled his hand. The silence fell over the room like a thick blanket, and as Malik's mind raced, he thought hard about the future.


	31. Chapter 31

_**Ch. 31: Headstrong**_

Malik took Xenos and Athaliah to his house for the night, and although Malik didn't like the idea of other people being here at the moment, they had no choice. Xenos took Fakir's room, and Malik took Athaliah to his room. He gave her his room for her to have to herself, but as he made his way to the door, she took his hand.

Xenos was glad to be sleeping in a comfortable bed, but felt uncomfortable in knowing that it belong to Malik's late brother. The night was full of stars, and the cries of Pokémon could be heard from the nearby woods. Malik had stopped walking when Athaliah took his hand, and then turned to look at her.

He didn't recognize the look in her eyes at first, but its meaning soon became clearer. She slowly pulled him close to her, and their lips met. Her soft mouth pressed against his was the only salvation in his shattered world, and he suddenly remembered everything he still had to fight for. As they moved closer to his bed, their kiss became more passionate, and they fell.

Xenos was having a hard time getting cozy, and aside from the extra pillows covering the bed, the fact that the room itself was littered with spare poke ball parts was bugging him. Finally, he kicked one of the half-poke balls, and it ricocheted off the far wall, then struck his head. He fell unconscious on the bed, and passed out.

The moon outside was full, Malik noticed, and as its light shimmered from Athaliah's smooth skin, he couldn't help but feel an intense emotion coursing through him. They caressed each other softly, but Malik noticed that he couldn't focus enough to think straight. It seemed the only thing keeping him from blacking out was her soft lips.

His hands wandered through the fields of her essence, and finally, he felt something new to his hands. It was moist and warm, and his fingers were lost in its embrace. By now, neither one of them were dressed, and Athaliah pulled him closer. She whispered something in his ear, but the words were muffled, and he only felt the sounds she made.

Long into the night, they embraced like this, and finally, the morning came, and saw them both unconscious, wrapped in each other's arms. The sun came up, and Xenos was the first one to wake. By the time Malik and Athaliah got downstairs, Malik almost thought he would see Fakir cooking in the kitchen. However, it was Xenos who was responsible for the delicious smell issuing from the kitchen.

"Well well," Xenos said in a sarcastic tone, "Look who's finally awake. Did you two love birds sleep well?"

Malik simply flicked his wrist, and the eggs Xenos was cooking exploded all over him. Malik and Athaliah went to sit down, and Malik took out his map. He took the time to mark down the location of Dragon's Den, and then began to plan their route. As Xenos entered the living room with breakfast, there was a loud knock on the door.

Malik took a bite of his food, and then went to see who it was. He opened the door to find a boy in peculiar looking clothes standing there. He bowed, and then glared at Malik and Xenos. Malik had almost no time to react, and as the boy began to slash with his sword, Malik found himself dodging and evading one hit after another.

"Hey," Malik shouted, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Testing my opponent," the strange boy shouted, "What's it look like?"

"Like you're trying to kill me," Malik shouted.

Finally, Malik rolled on one leg, and struck out with the other. The sword went flying into the wall, and Malik continued rolling. He struck the boy twice, one fist each, and sent him flying into the far wall with a broken nose. The boy got up, but instead of attacking again, he bowed, and calmly went to retrieve his sword.

"You fight well," the boy said, "I'm sure your Pokémon would do just as well in a battle. I'll be waiting at the lab until noon today, you should stop by if you're not afraid of a challenge."

With that, the boy left, and Malik tried to clean the house up. Whoever this kid was, Malik wasn't going to let him get away with this, and they waited for noon. Umbreon had attempted to sleep in the living room, but had found it difficult to sleep alone. Normally, Umbreon and Houndoom slept near each other, but now that he was gone, Umbreon had a hard time sleeping.

As Malik and the others made their way outside, Umbreon emerged from the woods to greet them. Malik almost got upset, but knew that Umbreon could take care of itself, and Malik trusted him. Malik would fight whoever this poser was, and then they would journey to Celadon city to face the grass gym. Malik had taken a few books with him, and found them more intriguing with the knowledge he now held about his abilities.

As they approached the lab, there was no one in sight, but Malik could feel a presence. Sure enough, smoke pellets were dropped all around them, and none of them could see a thing. As the smoke cleared, they found themselves along Route 1, and there was the boy again.

"What's your deal kid," Xenos shouted with a cough.

"Forgive me," the boy said, "Allow me to introduce myself: I am Koguo, Leader of the Fuchsia City Gym, son of the mighty Koga!"

"Called it," Athaliah shouted, with Malik and Xenos glaring at her, "What, I recognized him from the tabloids?"

"I know you as well, Athaliah of Cerulean City, and Malik, the Champion of Pallet Town."

"Then you must know about me," Xenos said with a cocky smirk.

"Actually, I have no idea who you are," Koguo replied with a sincere smile, "I'm sure you're great too though."

"Why, you little-" Xenos began, but was cut off by Malik.

"So a gym leader wishes to challenge me," Malik said in a mellow voice, "Very well, saves me the trip to your gym. I just hope you have the badge on hand."

"So confident you'll win, are you," Koguo asked, "Well don't count your Pidgeys before they hatch! Go, Foretress!"

Malik almost reached for Houndoom's ball, but then he remembered that he no longer had it. Instead he reached for Elekid's ball, and the small electric Pokémon came thundering out. Malik noticed Elekid had grown taller, and its fists were much larger. He hadn't been able to let it out of its ball in the ocean, and had forgotten to do so last night. He knew that this meant Elekid was over charged with electricity.

Foretress made the first move, and as it hardened, it rushed at Elekid full force. Elekid glared, and Malik could see how his training had paid off. Elekid shot its arms up, and stopped the bug Pokemon's take down immediately. As Malik watched, Elekid's arms lit up with lightning, and it zapped the Foretress with tremendous power. The thunderbolt flowed from Elekid's antennae to its arms, and it was using Foretress as the conductor.

Just as Malik thought the battle was over, Foretress clamped down, and Elekid's fists were caught in the bite. The electricity immediately stopped, and Elekid cried out in pain. Enraged and crying out, Elekid began to slam Foretress into the ground repeatedly, and each time, it let out more and more volts of electricity. Finally, the bug Pokémon fell unconscious, and Koguo was forced to retrieve it.

Elekid ran to Malik's side, and he could see the Pokémon's damaged arms. He pulled out a super potion, and sprayed it on the massive fists. In seconds, Elekid was back to full strength, but Koguo's next Pokemon had revealed itself. Malik saw a Scizor standing before him, but it was much shorter and slimmer than his. Elekid glared, and stepped onto the battle field.

Elekid roared, and as it clapped its fists together, bolts of lightning struck out all around them. Scizor glared, and on command, it rushed forward at the electric Pokémon. Malik smirked as Elekid seamlessly dodged the Scizor's massive claws, and he knew that Elekid's training with Malik's Scizor had payed off.

One attack after another, Elekid dodged, and the Scizor was beginning to grow weary from putting out so much energy. Koguo was standing with his arms folded, and saw right through Elekid's tactics. He snarled, growing impatient, and stepped forward.

"Scizor, what are you doing," he demanded, "Think smart not hard, now use focus energy!"

The steel bug Pokémon backed off, and began to glow slightly. Malik felt its energy rise, and quickly connected to Elekid's mind with his own. The Scizor was dangerously fast, and it was almost a blur. Elekid dodged more, and Malik waited for the opening. Finally, after a few quick jabs, Scizor struck down hard, and Elekid seized its opportunity.

Its entire arm glowed with intense electricity, and as its arm whipped around hard, it struck Scizor's jaw with a painful right hook. Elekid continued its assault until the Scizor was dizzy. It stepped back, and Malik watched proudly as its body coursed with massive electrical surges. Elekid glared, and with one last mighty punch, it sent the Scizor flying up in the air.

Scizor crashed down hard, and Koguo was showing signs of frustration. Before he could say anything, however, Elekid began to glow brilliantly. As everyone watched, Elekid's form changed, and he grew taller. The smooth body grew a thick coat of fur, and its arms grew longer. Its claws formed into fingers, and its feet now adorned claws. The last changes saw a tail sprout from its back, and the two prongs on its head formed into round entenaes.

Malik's excitement grew as he looked at his Electabuzz, and Xenos was laughing in the background. Koguo grew even more irritated, and this time sent out two Pokémon. Malik watched as Pinsir and Ninjask busted out onto the battle field. Malik thought of letting Umbreon enter the battle, but then he smirked.

"Next time buddy," he said looking down at Umbreon, "Bug types are super effective against ya, and I want you ready for anything after this battle."

Umbreon nodded, and Malik sent out his Scizor. Scizor came out with a swagger all its own, and didn't seem to care for the Pinsir that was glaring at it. Electabuzz rushed forward at Pinsir, followed by Ninjask, who rushed at Scizor. Scizor was avoiding the Ninjasks failed attempts to strike it, but it wasn't trying to land any hits of its own.

The Pinsir lowered its head, and clamped Electabuzz in its horns. At first, Electabuzz cried out in pain, but then it could feel Malik's voice in its mind: "Focus," he said, "Look past the pain, and use your power to bring this tyrant down." Electabuzz stopped roaring in pain, and as the Pinsir began to squeeze harder, Electabuzz lit up with tremendous electrical power. It took a little longer than Malik had expected, but the Pinsir finally went down hard.

Scizor was still dodging the attacks of the Ninjask, and almost ran into Electabuzz. Malik once again urged his voice into Electabuzz's mind, and on command, Electabuzz held Scizor in place. Scizor glared back at first, but Electabuzz nodded, and charged Scizor's claws with electricity. The Ninjask was closing in fast, and just as it was within striking range, Electabuzz let go.

Scizor took one step forward, and as the Ninjask rushed forward, Scizor stuck out with its right claw hard. Spinning from high to low, Scizor's massive claw came crashing down on the bug Pokémon, and with the added electrical charge, Ninjask went down hard. Electabuzz and Scizor cheered happily, and did a kind of secret hand shake dance.

Koguo reluctantly withdrew his Pokémon, and then bowed. Although he had lost, he knew Malik was worthy of his title, and he stepped forward to congratulate the trainer. Malik withdrew his two Pokémon, and looked down at Umbreon with a smirk, who was happily nuzzling Malik's hand.

"Thank you very much," Koguo said as he handed Malik the Soul Badge, "You have earned the official Pokémon league Soul Badge."

"Why are you thanking me," Malik asked, taking the badge happily.

"You have shown me more than I anticipated to see," Koguo replied, "It is a rare experience for me to learn something I never knew, but you have shown me a deeper understanding of relationships between a trainer and their Pokémon, so thank you."

"Well it was truly a pleasure battling someone with such powerful Pokémon, I'm just glad I was prepared," Malik said.

The ninja bowed, and disappeared into the wilderness. Malik admired his new badge, and then turned to face Xenos and Athaliah. Umbreon was trotting beside him proudly, and they all made their way towards Celadon city.


	32. Chapter 32

_**Ch. 32: Madness Incarnate**_

Two days had passed since Malik's defeat of Koguo, and as he admired his badges with pride, he couldn't help but swell with confidence. He had recently engaged in a few battles, winning all of them, and boasted to the point of irritating both his companions and Umbreon. The group was now just outside Celadon City, but their path was blocked by police officers, who all seemed to have the same, short brown hair and beards.  
"Attention citizens," one of the officers blared through a megaphone, "Celadon City has been quarantined pending further investigation of the city's medical center. At this time, we are uncertain of what caused the explosion, but until it is safe, no one is permitted to enter the city."  
The angry mob of trainers, as well as other random people, began to swell with shouts of frustration and rage. Malik tried shoving his way past all of them, and managed to get just within ear shot of one of the officers.  
"Excuse me," he said as he struggled not to be crushed by the crowd, "What exactly happened here?"

"An explosion," one officer replied, looking down at Malik, "About an hour ago, a fire started in the medical center, and then boom! It just explodes out of nowhere. We don't know what caused it, but now there's dangerous chemicals in the air."

"So let's say I wanted a gym badge," Malik began.

"You'll find the Gym leaders in the nearest forest. They went there as soon as they finished evacuating the Pokémon Center, but you might want to hurry, they only have a small amount of badges to give out."

With that, Malik busted through the mob twice as fast as he had done before, and made his way back to the group. He explained what had happened, but told them he had a hunch where the twins had gone to.  
"It should be just over here," Malik said, pointing to a massive shrub adorned neatly with flowers, "I remember seeing these here, now we just have to find the smell..."

"You better not get us lost again," Xenos warned, "If we have a re-run of the last time you got us lost, I'm going to personally kick your ass."

"As if," Athaliah retorted, smirking at Xenos, "You'll have to wait until I'm done with 'em."  
"Found it," Malik shouted with excitement, making the others jump out of slight fear, "There they are, Juan and Rose."

Malik was pointing at what appeared to be a normal looking bush, and although it was taller than the others considerably, Athaliah and Xenos were now certain that Malik had lost his mind. Just as Xenos was about to begin complaining, however, the shrubs moved slightly. Malik took a step back, and two identical twins jumped out at them, shaking off the leaves from the bushes.  
"I must congratulate you," Juan said with a smile on his face.  
"Not many can find us here in this forest," Rose added.  
"We are the Celadon Wonder Twins," they both shouted in unison, "The grass gym leaders of Celadon City!"  
"That's nice," Malik said, "but I'm just here to battle, then I'll be on my merry way."

"You sorely underestimate us," Juan said, "but we will show you..."

"The power of grass type Pokémon," Rose finished.  
They both sent out their Pokémon, but by now, Malik was used to double battles, and he sent out his Pokémon as well. Umbreon and Scizor were now face to face with Victreebell and Vileplume. Umbreon's blue markings glowed brightly in the moonlight, and reminded Malik that it was now night time.  
Juan and Rose wasted no time, however, and called out their attacks first. Victreebell and Vileplume spawned a lethal cloud of poison, but it didn't seem to faze Scizor at all, and Umbreon was too focussed to notice it. Scizor dashed forward, and although he had given the command, Malik couldn't follow its movement. In a matter of seconds, Victreebell was already pinned between Scizor's mighty claws, and it began to charge energy in them.  
Vileplume gathered energy as well, but Umbreon was already on it. With an incredible slam, Umbreon knocked Vileplume back into a tree, and Vileplume's attack failed miserably. Just as Scizor was about to finish off Victreebell, the ground began to move slightly, and vines shot out from the dirt at Scizor. Although the attack had done little damage, Scizor lost its grip, and was now trapped in a network of vines.  
Umbreon was glowing viciously with intense, blue light, and was closing in on Vileplume. As Scizor struggled to relieve itself of the vines, Victreebell began twirling in a circle, and Malik noticed the trees shaking. He hadn't seen a magical leaf attack before, but though he was curious to witness one, he didn't want to risk losing the battle.

As Umbreon lunged at Vileplume, leaves shot out from the trees in all directions, and knocked it out of the air. Instead of biting down on Vileplume, Umbreon's face met the trunk of the tree, and both Umbreon and Scizor took tremendous damage. Malik now understood how lethal grass Pokémon could be, especially in the forests of Kanto, and he smirked.  
"Something funny," Juan asked, noticing his grin.  
"Yeah," Malik began, "Grass types aren't the only ones with the edge in a forest..."

As if reading his mind, Scizor snapped the vines with blinding speed, and before anyone could react, it slashed Victreebell with tremendous force. The blows from its massive red claws were practically invisible, and in no time at all, Victreebell was knocked out. Umbreon had also taken advantage of the moment, and without being noticed, bit Vileplume hard, and slammed it into the tree. Both grass Pokémon were out cold, and Malik was now laughing.  
"The first mistake you made," Malik said, "was challenging me. The second mistake? Doing it at night."

"We're not done yet," they twins retorted in unison, "We were merely testing your strength, now you'll witness our true power, go!"

They tossed their balls, and out popped a Leafeon and Bayleef. Umbreon and Scizor both glared, but Malik took a step back. Suddenly he was regretting letting Houndoom go, but Umbreon's energy stream didn't waiver. Scizor, though it was strong, didn't seem so sure that it could win. Malik stepped forward again, and on command, all four Pokémon attacked.  
Bayleef and Scizor clashed, but Bayleef knocked it back with a powerful whip from its leaf. Leafeon and Umbreon were dashing left and right, and neither one seemed to be able to land a hit. As Bayleef rushed at Scizor, the steel Pokémon side stepped, and with a massive strike, slammed down of the grass Pokemon's head hard. Wasting no time, Scizor split into multiple figures, and Bayleef couldn't tell which was the real Scizor.

Umbreon and Leafon were in mid-air when they finally collided, and both landed on all four paws. Leafeon whirled its tail, and as its eyes glowed, vines shot out from the ground. Umbreon twitched its tail and jumped up, dodging the vines with ease. As the Leafeon tried to attack, however, Umbreon had already fired a massive shadow ball, and Leafeon was sent flying backwards hard.

Scizor began to charge its hyper beam, but Bayleef wasn't finished just yet. It violently began shooting leaves out from its head, and one by one, the copies from Scizor's double team faded. Bayleef was too late, however, and as the last of the copies faded, Scizor's hyper beam tore through the razor leaf attack, and hit Bayleef hard. Scizor waited for a moment, but Bayleef was down for the count, and Malik now focussed on the last Pokémon.

Umbreon had dealt serious damage to its cousin, and as the Leafeon struggled to get up, Umbreon rushed forward and bit down its neck hard. The Leafeon cried out in pain, and Umbreon's teeth began to glow with dark blue energy. With one last mighty toss, Umbreon slammed Leafeon into the tree nearby. Rose rushed over to her Leafeon, but Juan was glaring at Malik, having already returned Bayleef.

"Next time, I suggest you don't underestimate your opponents," Malik said with pride.  
"I don't think you should be so aggressive," Juan began.

"But nonetheless," Rose continued, "You have earned our gym's badge. Take it with pride, and advance to the next step in your journey."

"Sorry about your Pokémon," Malik added, "Had I known they wouldn't be too challenging, I would've used different Pokémon to battle you."

Malik and the others walked off, but Xenos and Athaliah were getting annoyed more and more. Malik had spent the entire day boasting about how great he was, and even Xenos was getting fed up with it. Finally, as Malik was bragging about his new badge, Xenos punched him in the face hard.  
"I've had it," Xenos shouted, "All you've done for the past three days is brag and boast about how strong you are, about how great you are. If you think you're so great, take me on!"

"So," Malik said as he stood up and wiped the blood from his mouth, "You wanna fight me?"

Malik glared, glowing with white energy, and stepped forward. His mind began to grow clouded, and as he backed Xenos into a nearby tree, he began to lose control of his thoughts. Xenos clenched his fists, but before Malik made a move, he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Athaliah's, and as Malik looked down at her hand, then back at Xenos, he suddenly regained conciousness.

"What happened," Malik said with confusion as he rubbed his head, "I blacked out, what's goin' on?"

"I'm gonna kick your ass, that's what," Xenos shouted.

"Stop it, both of you," Athaliah shouted, "Xenos, if you ever do that again, I'm going to kick your ass, and Malik, you better learn to shut up, or you'll join your friend here!"

For a moment, a silence fell over the group, but soon enough they were back on the road. They quickly made their way back to Celadon City, and as they arrived, Malik noticed that the crowd had dimmed down. They were now filtering people into the city in small groups. Again, Malik could hear the officers shouting through their megaphones, and he listened as they approached the gates to Celadon.

"Attention citizens, Celadon City is now open to the public. Proof of residency, or a trainer ID is currently required to gain access to the city. At this time were are not allowing tourists or outsiders to enter. The next available entry for those people will be tomorrow at noon."

`The officer began repeating this message every couple of minutes, but Malik was still eager to get into the city. He wanted to investigate the explosion, and had a hunch of who was behind it. As they made their way to the guards, Malik hid his Celadon badge, and showed the officers his other badges as proof that he was a trainer, and Athaliah and Xenos flashed their ID cards.

"I can't believe you don't have an ID by now," Athaliah scolded.

"I'll put it on my to-do list," Malik replied casually, "Besides, I never need one anyways."

"Well you're going to need one if you want to get into the Pokémon League," Xenos said with a lazy tone, "but that's only if you want to battle the Elites."

"That and you can get into major trouble for not carrying an ID," Athaliah said, "It's against the law to travel without one."

"Well then I'll make it number one on my to-do list," Malik said in an annoyed voice.

He had led the group to the medical center, and Malik's senses alerted him to what no one else could suspect. His energy was flaring off the charts, and although he hadn't noticed it, he was glowing with energy. Athaliah and Xenos immediately were on alert, but onlookers seemed confused, and had no idea what was going on.

"What is it," Xenos asked in a quiet voice.

"She's here," Malik replied, looking from side to side slowly.

"Who," Athaliah asked.

As if answering her question, a lightning bolt struck the ground in front of them, and Blaire was standing with a frightened look on her face. Malik took a step back, and noticed her body was completely covered in lightning. She tried to shed a tear, but it immediately burnt up. Her face went from a deep sorrow to an insane grin, and she grabbed Malik by the shirt, jerking him to the tip of her nose.

"You're mine," she said in a sinister tone, and they both soared into the air.

At first, Malik couldn't breathe, nor could he see anything. The two of them were moving so fast that he couldn't comprehend anything that was going on. The only thing his mind could register was the stinging volts of electricity coursing through him, and the intense speed tearing at his mind like a vicious animal. Finally, they settled down in a graveyard, and Malik collapsed from vertigo.

"We're here," Blaire said, and the hint of insanity in her voice was obvious, "This is where they sleep...this is where he now sleeps."

She pointed towards Dakriel's corpse, and although Malik could barely see, there was no mistaking the lifeless body in front of him. He was holding his ribs, which he was sure were now broken, and struggling to breathe. As he tried to get up, however, Blaire's foot collided with his jaw, and he was now face down in the dirt.

"It's all because of you," she shouted, pelting him with kicks and stomps in random places on his body, "You just had to show up, had to be _special_!"

Malik was now spitting up blood, and his ribs cracked even more. He didn't have the strength to fight back, and was barely managing to stay conscious. She was now beating him senselessly, and the pain was intense. Warm blood trickled down his face, and slowly reached his arms. Finally, she allowed him to get up, then kicked him so that he would land on top of Dakriel's body.

"Look at what you've done," she cried in an intense sadness, "He was all I had left, and you took him! YOU TOOK HIM!"

As she screamed, she glowed with a bright yellow energy, and to Malik, it was blinding. He felt how strong she was, and as her energy rose to even greater heights, lightning began to crash down from the sky. The graveyard was now ablaze, and Dakriel's body was now burning. Malik took what little energy he had left, and as he stood up, he knew he had no choice but to end Blaire's life.

"You've never truly been normal have you," Malik said as he stared at the graves where Blaire's parents rested, "ever since they died."

"What" she hissed, "What did you say?"

"You died," Malik said, and his energy began to rise, "When they died, you went with them, and now all that's left," he continued as his energy rose even higher than Blaire's, "is an empty shell!"

Malik's body seemed to almost explode with tremendous power, and Blaire was pushed back slightly. Shielding her eyes, she watched as Malik's eyes burned with fire, and his arms froze over with ice. His aura boasted the same white light he always glowed with, but he was much stronger now than he had ever been. Blaire's madness finally consumed her, and as she screamed with a horrible, blood curdling sound, they began to fight.

They were both flourishing their fists with impressive skill, blocking and dodging, but Malik completely outmatched the crazed woman. They were moving with blinding speed, but Malik was considerably faster, and he finally caught her arm. He twisted it until he felt it pop, and then jerked her forward.

Before he realized what he was doing, he felt her pulsing heart in his hand. As it thumped wildly, he felt the energy surge into his the last of her power left her, and her form grew normal again, she almost fainted. Her head was resting on Malik's shoulder, and with her last whisper, she spoke into his ear.

"Kill me," she said softly, "and set me free..."

Malik didn't hesitate, and he squeezed as hard as he could. Her heart's fleshy mass crumbled in his hand, and as the warm blood oozed down his arm, Blaire collapsed. Her illusion had faded, along with her powers, and her burnt corpse revealed the hideous monster she had become.

The last thing Malik remembered was a flash, and then his memory went blank. He awoke the next day in a hospital bed, and Xenos and Athaliah were at his side. Once again, Umbreon was asleep in the closest chair, and Malik sat up. His entire body ached with extreme pain, and he could feel every bit of it.

"Well well," Xenos said sarcastically, "Looks who finally decided to wake up. So, how was your nap?"

"Oh it was great," Malik replied with even greater sarcasm, "I especially love the memory loss, that was a big plus. I'm sure I missed out on hours of bitching from you."

"Well it's nice to see you're back to normal," Athaliah interjected, "Minus the fractured ribs, dislocated shoulder, and the concussion. Other than that, the nurse says you'll be just fine."

Malik chuckled, but it hurt him to laugh, and he finally just sat up. He explained what he remembered to them, and they both grew silent. Athaliah looked down, and Xenos seemed to be contemplating what he thought Malik should do next. Before anyone spoke however, Umbreon had hopped onto Malik's bed, and nuzzled his hand.

"Umbreon hasn't left your side," Athaliah said with a sigh, "You should've heard the way he howled when you were gone. I think it could sense that you were in danger."

Umbreon happily growled, and Malik smiled. He and Umbreon had been through so much together, and he felt bad that he had let this power struggle get in the way of their friendship. He sat in his hospital bed, and simply enjoyed the moment.


	33. Chapter 33

_**Ch. 33: Jailbreak**_

Malik had been ordered to bed rest for no less than a week, and although he had done his best to give the nurse and doctor as much grief as possible, they refused to give in to his annoyance. Finally, his wounds had miraculously healed, and he was allowed to leave. Having acquired 8 badges, he was now ready to take on the Pokémon League, though he wasn't entirely sure he _was_ ready. He just had one more thing to take care of before he set out, however, and he made his way to the nearest Police Station, along with the group.

Umbreon had slept well in the past week, but Malik hadn't allowed any of his Pokémon to skip training. In his place, Xenos and Athaliah had been handling his Pokémon's skills well. Upon arriving, Malik looked on the Celadon Police Department with a wide grin. He hadn't lied when he said he'd put getting an ID on his to-do list, and he was even slightly excited. He walked in, but instead of a quiet entrance, he had somehow set off an alarm.

In a matter of seconds, he was surrounded by Growlithes and Houndours, along with almost every gun in the station trained on him. Umbreon had been startled by this, hunched its back, and began to growl. Malik reassured it, and looked at the officers with curiosity. In no time at all, the chief of police, whose name tag only read: "Murdock" approached him. He was a tall, muscular fellow, and his black moustache matched his jet black hair, which was neatly combed back. Malik also noticed how intensely his eyes were glowing blue, but when he spoke, a ferocity entered the air, and seemed to shake violently.

"Are you Malik, from the town of Pallet," he said in an emotionless tone.

"Yes," Malik responded, unsure of what was going on, "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Well," Murdock replied, "Unless you've got about fifty grande in your pocket," then his face formed into a snarl, "no. Seize him!"

Instantly, all the dog Pokémon surrounding him lunged forward, four of them pinning Umbreon down, and the rest cornering Malik. Two officers approached Malik, handcuffed him, and took him to a nearby cell. It had happened so quickly that Malik had absolutely no idea what was going on. All of his Pokémon were once again sitting in their balls on the table across from his cell, and he remembered the last time he was in jail. Xenos and Athaliah were still at the entrance, but Malik couldn't hear the conversation.

"This is absurd," Athaliah shouted, "I demand to know what charges are being placed against him immediately."

"Ma'am, for your own good, go home," Murdock replied in an ignorant tone, "He's just going to do a couple of months, then he'll be out."

"Are you serious," Xenos demanded in an incredulous tone, "For what? Walking into your half-assed Police Station? What did he even do? You can't just-"

"Well let's just clear that up," Murdock interjected, "Aside from murdering two people, one of which was his brother, slaughtering a known vigilante, and single-handedly destroying at least two hospitals, what do _you _think we're holding him for?"

A silence fell among the two of them, and Xenos took a step back. Although he agreed that the charges were somewhat fair, he knew there was more at stake than just Malik's freedom. He stepped forward again, and leaning down, he glared into Murdock's eyes with a deep, piercing ferocity.

"Hold him here if you want, but heed my words," he said as Murdock glared back into his eyes, "Holding Malik in a cell will do way more harm than good, and I pray you're still alive when the shit hits the fan."

With that, Xenos and Athaliah left the station, and rented a nearby hotel room for the moment. Malik sat hopelessly in his cell, and although he wanted to escape, he knew he had no choice but to stay. Not only would using his powers mean the probability of killing innocent people, but if word got out that he had been arrested, it would trash his reputation.

Meanwhile, not far from where Malik was being held, a familiar figure lurked through the streets. The young man had adorned a grey tuxedo, along with a black over-coat, and was puffing on a cigar. Giovanni Jr. had searched for Malik ever since the news of the Crimson Jewel's death had spread throughout the region. What he hadn't known was that Malik had first been hospitalized, and then arrested. Behind him, two escorts were carrying brief cases, and wearing matching outfits.

"Where do you think he went, boss," Jeice asked in a raspy tone.

"Yeah," Jade said, "Where's that little wimp hiding?"

"Quiet, both of you," Giovanni Jr. hissed, "Or have you already forgotten the entire point to these ridiculous disguises?"

He looked around, and although he didn't know why, he went streight for the Police Station. As soon as he entered, every officer was glaring at him intensely, but he just smiled and waved. He made his way to Murdock's desk, and began to speak.

"Excuse me," he said with a sinister grin, "I'm looking for a friend of mine, Malik, I was wondering if you had heard any word of him?"

"And who might you be," Murdock asked in an irritated voice.

"I'm uh," he hesitated for a moment, then noticed a poster on the far wall, "I'm a talent scout from the Pokémon Academy, and I've heard great things about Malik and his Pokémon; I'm looking to recruit him."

"Well you'll have to wait," Murdock said, slightly more happy somehow, "He's locked up for three months pending an investigation."

"Is that so," the criminal said surprised, "Perhaps I could borrow-"

"I said no," Murdock shouted, "Now get out of here before I have you and your goons arrested."

"Fine," he said in a deep voice.

As Giovanni Jr. and his henchman walked away from the desk, the crime lord flicked his cigar at a stack of papers, and it immediately caught fire. The officers panicked, and all three thugs sent out their Pokémon. Malik heard the alarms go off from his cell, and jolted up in curiosity. The scene in the main lobby was both horrifying and epic.

Giovanni's Arcanine and Machamp were barreling through the dog Pokémon with ease, and his henchman's Sandslash and Liepard were making a good distraction for the officers. Giovanni Jr. finally reached Murdock, and Machamp picked him up by the neck, punched his face twice, and lowered him to Giovanni's level.

"Now," he said in a sinister voice, "Let me ask this _one more time..._"

Before Malik knew what was happening, a figure came walking around the corner. At first, he thought it might be an officer, but when he instead saw Giovanni Jr., his heart sank. Not far behind him, Jeice and Jade were laughing hysterically, and grinned at his horrified expression.

"Ah, Malik, there you are," Giovanni Jr. said in an evil tone, "You know, you really should find better hiding places than a Police Station, after all did you honestly think they could stop me?"

"What are you doing here?"

"What am _I doing here_," the criminal replied, "I'm not the one locked in a cell. Perhaps we're all wondering what _you're _doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious," Malik said with a smirk, "I wanted to know what you felt like on a daily basis," then he cocked an eyebrow, "A great big failure, trapped in a cage like an animal. Although for me, this _is_ a bit extreme."

Giovanni Jr.'s face formed a scowl, and he turned red from anger. Jeice and Jade stepped back, and bumped into the table. As their boss stepped forward, a few of Malik's poke balls fell onto the floor, and Umbreon came out, along with Scizor. They stepped back in fear, and as they were chased back into the lobby, Giovanni Jr. sent out Machamp.

"Well as much as I'd love to watch you rot in a cage while all of your worst nightmares come to fruition," Giovanni Jr. snarled, "I'd take much greater pride in killing you right here and now."

Malik glared, but he could do little more than watch as the massive fighting Pokémon ripped the bars of the cage open, and tossed Malik into the far wall of the hallway. Malik hit hard, and then crumpled to the floor. He was still sore from his freshly recovered wounds, but he lost all faith now that Machamp was about to beat him to a pulp. As he stood up, the Pokémon struck out again, this time hitting his ribs and stomach simultaneously.

Giovanni Jr. leaned back against the wall where Malik had been held in the cell, but as he did so, slipped on one of the open poke balls. He hit his head on the table hard, and knocked off one of Malik's other Pokémon. Machamp turned around to see what the noise was, and Malik bolted for the table. He had managed to get past Machamp's swinging arms, and luckily the ball that fell had released Kadabra.

"Machamp, quickly, before he attack-" Giovanni Jr. was cut off my an unseen force closing on his neck.

Malik was standing behind him, arms raised, and just as Malik was about to kill him, he snapped himself out of his rage. Giovanni Jr. fell unconscious, but Machamp was barreling towards Malik. Kadabra waved its hand once, and tossed Machamp into the cell, then closed the bars with its telekinesis. Machamp got back up, and roared, but Kadabra again tossed it with psychic energy, and Machamp fell unconscious in the cell. Malik looked around at the damaged walls, then retrieved his other Pokémon along with the empty balls.

He made his way into the lobby, where he found Umbreon and Scizor cornering the Team Rocket thugs. The police officers finally managed to get up, but their K-9 Tactical teams were all taken down during Team Rocket's attack. Malik calmly stepped forward, and Umbreon and Scizor awaited his command. Malik glared from Team Rocket to the Officers, and that's when he saw Murdock.

He rushed over, but it was too late. The chief of police had been beaten to death, and Malik was certain he wasn't getting up. He stared at the corpse with a strange mix of displeasure and satisfaction. He made his way back over to the thugs, and as the officers arrested the two of them, Malik half expected them to arrest him as well.

"You're free to go," one of them told Malik, "If it weren't for your aid, we would never have caught these two. We'll be sure to get all the charges against you dropped."

Malik nodded, and as he returned his two Pokémon to their balls, he had only just noticed Xenos and Athaliah standing near the entrance. Xenos stepped forward first, a slight grin on his face, and then Athaliah. Malik was confused by his friend's reaction, but ignored it.

"You know, I don't normally say I told you so," Xenos said sarcastically, "but damn did I call this one."

"How did he find me here," Malik said in a confused voice, "I mean out of all the places to look for me, he goes streight to the police station I just happen to be in."

"Wierd, right," Xenos said, but his tone implied that he had somehow expected this to happen.

"Anyways, before I forget," Malik said and made his way towards the main desk.

"Change your mind about leaving," one officer said with a smirk.

"Actually," Malik replied, "I was wondering if I could get an official ID card?"

"No problem, though with the damage to our machines, it will take a few days to restore the power," the officer replied.

"I think I can help you there," Malik said as he reached for Electabuzz's ball.

The yellow Pokémon came out of its ball with a growl, but Malik calmed it down. Wasting no time, the officer led Malik and Electabuzz to where the power could be restored, and so they restored it. Malik saw this as a mutual benefit, both allowing him to get his ID faster, and ridding Electabuzz of excess energy.

It took only a few hours for Malik's ID to be ready, and as he left the station, every single officer made a point to thank him for his help. The one thing Malik couldn't shake was Xenos' strange behaviour, but he put it away for now. His next stop would be challenging the Pokémon League.


	34. Chapter 34

_**Ch. 34: The Calm Before The Storm**_

As Malik and the group awoke the next day in a comfortable luxury motel, courtesy of the city's Officer Roy, they couldn't help but feel a certain excitement. Malik had slept better than he had in recent months, and now felt well rested. The only question he had now was what to do with his collected powers, and to distract himself, he had spent the first few minutes of the morning playing with Umbreon.

"You know," Athaliah interrupted, "With you having all eight badges, you should be able to qualify for the Kanto Pokémon League Championship."

"Yeah," Malik said with a sigh.

Although he was indeed excited to bring even more fame and glory to Pallet Town, he couldn't help but feel an uneasiness about Team Rocket, and why Giovanni Jr. was so interested in his powers. Umbreon had been playing hide and seek with Malik all morning, but it was now getting to the point that Malik knew all his hiding spots, and Malik finally got out of bed and stretched.

"So are you guys entering," Malik asked with a slight hint of anticipation.

"I know I am," Xenos said with a grin, "I'd give anything for a chance to take on the Kanto League, besides, it'll be a good opportunity to show you what _real _talent is."

"I'm going to enter too," Athaliah shouted as she excitedly jumped a little, "It'll be a great way to train, and I want to see what kinds of Pokémon other people have."

"Well, either way," Malik said, "I know with the three of us, our odds of winning _have _to be good."

After leaving the hotel at noon, Malik checked the map, and luckily, they weren't that far from the Indigo Plateau. It was a two day walk if they paced themselves, and the championships were only one week away. Malik calculated that they would be on time for the entire thing. Malik had read stories in magazines and newspapers about the trainers who competed in the league, and he knew he'd have his work cut out for him.

After about a day of walking, Malik had led the group back to Pallet Town, and there were already festivities lighting up the main road, with houses and trees decorated on all sides. Malik hadn't been sure what it was all about, until he saw some familiar faces. Jenny, along with every other gym leader aside from the Celadon twins, had arrived in town recently, and were spreading the word of Malik's triumphant victories. Ducking and dodging, he peered inside a nearby house window, and sure enough, the news reporter he recognized as Tracy Strauss was talking away.

He couldn't hear very good at first, so he pulled out a glass cup from his bag, and placed it between the window and his ear:

"...in another shocking turn of events, our famed trainer: Malik, along with his trusty Umbreon have been defeating gyms left and right," her voice echoed from the screen, "Their prowess is, as of today, unprecedented. Though we have missed interviews with this marvelous trainer after recent gym battles, one of which resulting in the death of the infamous Crimson Jewel, we are certain he will make an appearance in this years Indigo Pokémon League."

She smiled into the camera, with a certain gleam in her eye, and Malik continued to listen:

"Let's go into a day in the life of Malik shall we," she said revealing a manilla folder.

As Malik's heart sank, he wondered what could be in that file. The camera seemed more unsteady than usual, and Malik noticed something odd about the way it was moving, as if the person holding it were a little too anxious.

"The son of a famed scientist, Malik grew up an orphan from a young age," she read aloud from her report, "His older brother Fakir did the best he could to raise his younger brother, but unfortunately, Malik never lost sight of his dreams to make his home town of Pallet a better place. While his older brother went on to specialize in poke ball crafting, Malik set out on his journey to become a great and famous trainer, but instead of the usual starters, Malik instead began with his trusted Eevee."

Malik sighs, realizing that they had only gotten their info from sources and people that knew him personally. Although he continued to listen more calmly, there was still something strange about the camera man. Tracy continued on, and Malik listened intently:

"Now I'm standing right inside the Oak Pokémon Lab, with none other than the famous Prof. Oak herself!"

The camera shifted, and Malik's eyes widened as the camera revealed a bound Oak, tied firmly to her lab chair. Malik also noticed duct tape on her mouth, but it was ripped off by a black-gloved hand, which Malik noticed was the camera person's hand. Tracy wasn't in on it, Malik could tell by her expression, but he knew they weren't far.

Malik shot a glance at Xenos and Athaliah, but they were already sprinting towards the lab. Malik bolted after them, and blocked their way. Xenos glared, but Athaliah was more confused than angry.

"What are you doing," Xenos demanded, "Move!"

"Wait," Malik said with a smirk, "I've got a plan..."

Inside the lab, Tracy was continuing the report, but Malik had led the group to the roof top, and revealed a black bag. As his hand lunged inside, Malik revealed Team Rocket uniforms for all three of them.

"Put these on," he said handing Athaliah a black shirt, skirt, boots, gloves, and a cap, "and follow my lead."

"Why would I ever wear something this redundant," Xenos said giving his black uniform a glare.

"We're going to steal their thunder," Malik said, "and then demoralize them on national T.V."

"Wow," Xenos said, "That's almost a good idea."

They all slipped into the uniforms, and for the most part, they actually didn't look too bad. In Malik's opinion, Athaliah, although wearing a criminal organization's uniform, looked incredibly attractive. Xenos' uniform fit relatively well, although the legs of the pants were a little long, and Malik's was a perfect fit. Next, Malik looked at Umbreon, who then blasted a hole in the roof directly above the camera crew and Oak.

"What the hell," the familiar voice of Giovanni Jr. shouted through the thick debris, "Who's there?"

"In times of peril in times of hate," Malik began.

"Team Rocket is doomed, we've sealed your fate," Xenos continued.

"We're tough and ruthless you soon will see," Athaliah added.

"How powerful merely three will be," Malik said.

"Team Rocket always will be destined to fall," They said in unison, "Surrender now, or we'll destroy you all."

Then Umbreon lunged at Giovanni Jr., tackling him hard into the far wall, and pinned him down. Xenos and Athaliah ran over to Oak, and began to untie her. In the confusion, Tracy had grabbed the camera and began to record everything. As Malik made his way over to the pinned crime boss, he heard angry shouts from a nearby cabinet. Sure enough, Jeice and Jade dropped out of it, and Malik's only question was how had they escaped from jail.

"You little brats how dare you," Jade shouted.

"You dare to make us look bad on national television," Jeice shouted as well.

"Well," Malik said with a smirk, "You guys make it look so hard, I thought I'd try it for myself."

"You'll pay," they both said in unison as they sent out their Pokémon.

Malik was ready for them, however, and sent out Scizor and Kadabra. The duo wasted no time in attacking, which Malik had anticipated, and Liepard made a dash for Kadabra. Scizor, however was much faster, and as Kadabra's failed attempts to stop the dark Pokémon with its power continued, Scizor rushed forward with blinding speed. In a millisecond, the steel claw of Scizor had come crashing down on Liepard's head, and it was knocked unconscious.

Kadabra's eyes began to glow, and just as Scizor rushed for Jeice's Sandslash, it burrowed its way into the ground. Scizor stopped and waited, but Kadabra was already annoyed at it for stealing the spotlight, and Kadabra tossed Scizor aside with intense power. Malik was annoyed by this, but he felt Kadabra deserved a chance to battle.

Sure enough, Sandslash had come bursting from the ground slashing at Kadabra. At least, that's what the illusion showed Sandslash. Kadabra was actually about four feet away, waiting with its spoon in hand. As Sandslash drew closer, Kadabra glowed brighter, and Kadabra was brighter than anything in the room, lights and all. Sandslash had no idea what was happening, and merely thought Kadabra was dodging seamlessly.

Finally, Sandslash got within range, and Kadabra froze it with its disable technique. Sandslash was frozen and helpless, and Kadabra began to swirl its hands in a circular motion. At first, nothing happened, but suddenly, Sandslash went flying into the far wall, and was knocked out cold. Jeice and Jade both screamed, and Jeice angrily dashed at Malik.

"You bastard," he shouted, throwing a wide right hook.

Malik side-stepped, ducked, and then caught the thief's arm carefully. Jeice was now in and awkward position, with his arm grasped firmly over Malik's right shoulder. Malik pulled just slightly, and Jeice screamed in agony. At first, Malik thought about letting him go, but then he remembered all the times Jeice and Jade had attacked him, slandering and insulting him, and Malik decided instead to snap his arm in half.

A terrible popping sound echoed through the lab, and as Oak was finally freed from her bonds, Jeice screamed in agonizing pain. As Malik let go, he felt the rubbery shift of muscle and tendons flex as the bones shattered in Jeice's arm. He scurried towards the exit, but just before he reached the door, he was hit in the back of the head by a high-heeled shoe.

"Hey, lady, you tryin' to get yourself hurt," Jade shouted, rushing at the professor.

Professor Oak skillfully grabbed Jade's arm and shirt, and after a brief twirl, slammed her to the ground hard. Before the thief could get up, Oak kicked her jaw as hard as she could, and Jade went limp. Malik casually retrieved the shoe, and as he handed it to Oak, a wide smile crossed his face.

"Never knew you had that in you," Malik said chuckling, "you been taking classes?"

"No, silly," Oak replied, "Who do you think taught your brother everything he knows?"

As they ran over towards Umbreon, who had managed to keep Giovanni Jr. pinned down, Malik had a burning desire to kill him for a moment. He reached down, and picked the criminal up by his shirt. He wasted no time in gently slamming him into the chair, binding his arms and legs, and taping his mouth.

"This time," Malik said as he took off the TR hat he was wearing and placed it on Giovanni Jr.'s head, "Be a good little bad guy and go to jail with your lackeys."

As the group headed for the door, Tracy was standing in their way, camera in hand, and was tapping her foot. Malik shifted uncomfortably, but Xenos was ready to be on T.V. He stepped forward, a wide smile on his face, and was winking at the news reporter.

"Not you," she said shoving him aside, "You, Malik! I've chased your stories all over Kanto, and don't think I don't know what went down with you and Blaire on the island."

"Whoah," Malik said taking a step back, "calm down, take it easy, what do you want from me?"

"Well," she said cocking an eyebrow, "Your eager friend here can hold the camera for starters."

"Hey, what the-" Xenos said as she shoved the large news camera into his arms.

"Now," she continued, "You've got two choices the way I see it: You can run off again, deny me an interview, and then I can tell a news story about how you're secretly a member of Team Rocket and planned a mutiny," Malik glared at her angrily, but she continued, "...or, you can let me interview you, and the world can here about a daring rescue led by you and your friends, and not only will you be famous, but people will want to come to Pallet to meet the brave trainer who saved myself and the professor."

"Fine," Malik said with a childish tone, "little Tracy can have her interview."

A little while later, Malik left the lab with the group, and the Police had already arrived at the lab. Malik watched as the infamous trio from Team Rocket was arrested, and he was now ready to head for the Pokémon League.

"Malik, wait," Prof. Oak was shouting from the lab as she ran up to them, "I almost forgot. I know how much this will mean to you."

She handed him a small, black box, which was wrapped in a familiar way with a red ribbon. Malik held it for a moment, and recalled the last two times he had received a similar gift. His eyes almost watered up, and he looked back at Oak, who was just smiling at him proudly.

"Thank you," was all Malik could manage to say without choking.

The professor nodded, and the trio set out for the Indigo Plateau. Malik was staring at the box as they walked, and at first he was reluctant to open it. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but he knew that this would be the last gift from his brother, Fakir. A small note attached to the ribbon fell off, and as they continued on their journey, Malik held it close to his heart.


	35. Chapter 35

_**Ch. 35: Challenge Of The Cave**_

It hadn't taken the group long to travel to the Indigo Plateau, and although Xenos had wasted most of the days complaining, Malik couldn't help but feel a peculiar optimism welling up inside him. He had acquired all eight of the Kanto league badges, thwarted a criminal gang countless times, and kept an incredible grip on both his mind and his abilities. Not only was he finally feeling upbeat, but Malik knew that, by the time they got past Victory Road, he would be more than ready to take on the Pokémon League Championship with ease.

"Hey you," said a young man's voice from a nearby tree, "Aren't you that guy from Pallet, the one that's been all over the news for the past year?"

Malik watched as the hiker approached. He had a muscular build, and Malik guessed that he must have been in his early thirties. His bag was massive, and held pots and pans on the side. He wore a black shirt, and his scruffy black hair was trickling out of his blue bandana wildly. Malik took a step forward in front of Xenos and Athaliah, and replied with a firm tone.

"Who wants to know," Malik said roughly.

"The name's Barry," the hiker said, "I hear you're pretty good, but I'll bet you can't beat my Pokémon in a one on one battle."

"Depends," Malik said with an upbeat tone, "What's the wager?"

"Oh let's see," Barry hesitated, "You win, I'll give ya one of my Pokémon, but if _I win,_ you give me your badges."

"Only on one condition," Malik said, "I get to pick the Pokémon."

"Grr, you're on, kid," Barry growled angrily, "Go, Rhydon!"

Sure enough, a massive Rhydon came blasting out of its ball, and as it did so, the ground shook as if an earthquake were about to erupt. Malik Smirked and sent out Scizor, who came swiping and slashing out of its ball. The two Pokémon were in full gear, and the battle was on. With both trainers commanding their Pokémon, Malik's knowledge of this particular ground Pokémon kicked in.

Rhydon, as Malik knew, had a rock-hard hide that was nearly impenetrable, unless you happened to have a steel or water type Pokémon on hand. Scizor was experienced enough that, even the slightest tap with one claw, would most likely tear this Rhydon apart. There was only one thing different about this Rhydon, it wasn't as slow as most of its kind, and even Scizor was having a hard time cornering it and following its movements.

The first blow was struck, and Malik smirked as Scizor's claw came crashing down on Rhydon's jaw. The horned Pokémon reeled back in pain, and although Scizor had dealt a serious blow, its next attack was cut off. Rhydon caught Scizor's claw, lifted it up, and then slammed it down. As Scizor was getting up, Barry ordered Rhydon to use horn drill, and Malik wasn't sure if Scizor could dodge in time.

The ground Pokemon's horn came crashing down with tremendous force, but Scizor jumped up just in time to dodge the attack. As it descended from mid-air, Scizor landed, and twirled, and as it performed a complete three hundred and sixty degree turn, its left claw smashed into Rhydon's jaw once more. To finish the battle, Malik order Scizor to use hyper beam, and as Rhydon reeled back in pain, Scizor charged its attack.

Rhydon finally recovered, but Scizor wasn't ready to fire the beam. Rhydon lunged once more, and as its horn whirled in its socket, Scizor glared and charged the attack. The ground Pokémon wasted no time in attacking, and Rhydon was now barreling at Scizor with all its might. Malik and Barry were now glancing from Rhydon to Scizor, and neither was certain which Pokémon was going to come out on top.

Rhydon's horn collided with Scizor, just as Scizor fired the hyper beam at Rhydon. At first, Malik thought that he had lost, and began gathering his badges, but then there was a massive crash. The thick dust began to clear, and Malik watched as Scizor proudly flexed its claws, and then returned to Malik's side. Barry ran over to the fallen Rhydon, and began to sob.

"Never thought I'd see a rugged hiker cry like that," Malik said in an unsympathetic voice, "Maybe you should go back to wherever it is you came from, Barry."

"Please," Barry sobbed, "Don't take him, Rhydon is all I have left."

"What are you saying," Malik said, although he didn't plan on taking a Pokémon either way.

"I've done a great job training my Pokémon," Barry explained, "but I still haven't managed a single victory. As a result, I've lost all of my Pokémon except for Rhydon."

"Well in the future," Malik said, "Why don't you wager something other than your own Pokémon."

"So," Barry muttered, "You're not going to take my Rhydon away?"

"Do I look like a thief," Malik said dryly, "I don't want it anyways, besides, I have more important things to do than deal with a new Pokémon."

As Malik and the group left, Barry returned his Pokémon. Malik almost felt sorry for him, but then he put it from his mind. They had finally made it to the entrance of a massive cave. Malik looked down at Umbreon, then back at the cave, and he had a massive smile on his face.

"Are you guys ready to take on the Victory Road challenge," he asked in a loud voice.

"Just don't get too cocky," Xenos said, "I'll bet you don't last a day in this cave alone."

"Alone," Athaliah asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Oh," Malik replied, "Me and Xenos were talking and we both thought it'd be best if we raced each other to the other end of the cave."

"Oh, how lovely," she replied sarcastically, "But I suppose there's no other choice. Guys these days, always so eager to prove everyone else wrong."

"If you want," Malik replied, "You can tag along with me."

"No that's okay," she retorted, "You'd probably just slow me down any way."

Before Malik could reply, she disappeared into the cave. Malik turned to smile at Xenos, but he, too, had vanished. Malik shook his head and ran into the cave with Umbreon at his side.

At first, Malik and Umbreon had been left alone. A few hours passed, and Malik noticed that Umbreon was becoming restless. They took a break, and Malik layed out a blanket for Umbreon to rest on. He reached down to pet Umbreon, and then he talked.

"We've been through a lot together this past year," Malik said as Umbreon nuzzled his hand, "I remember when I first got you, and you hated me."

Umbreon simply looked at Malik, twitched its ear, and then nuzzled again. As they sat quietly, Malik recalled that fateful day at Professor Oak's lab, where Eevee nearly bit his finger off. He smiled and laughed, remembering how stubborn and aggressive the little grey fox had been, and as they sat alone, Malik thought about everything they had been through.

Malik had almost fallen asleep, but then there was a sudden shift nearby, and Malik jolted upright. He tried to sense the energy of whatever was nearby, but he couldn't pinpoint it. Umbreon began to growl, and that's when Malik knew that it wasn't looking to play games. Sure enough, just as Malik took one step forward, a Weavile dashed at them out of the darkness.

Malik jumped back just in time to dodge the attack, and Umbreon ran in front of him to head off the Pokémon. Malik almost sent out another Pokémon, but Umbreon really wanted to battle. Malik guessed that it was because Weavile was also a dark type, and Umbreon wanted to test itself.

"Okay, Umbreon" Malik said proudly as he put away the blanket, "Let's show it a nice little love tap."

Umbreon nodded, and as the wild Pokémon lunged forward, Umbreon weaved, and then slammed into it hard. The Weavile went flying backwards, but as it got up, Umbreon again slammed into it. Time and time again, Umbreon knocked the wild Pokémon back with considerable force. Just as it finally began to struggle to get up, Umbreon seemed to back off.

"Alright then," Malik said as Umbreon looked to him for the final command, "Umbreon, show it what true darkness looks like!"

Umbreon cheered happily, and as the Weavile weakly staggered towards them, Umbreon fired a massive ball of dark energy. Weavile was hit hard, and went flying into the darkness of the cave. Umbreon was now charged full of energy once more, and Malik found he was wide awake as well.

"Come on, buddy," he said lightly, "Let's go find some more trouble."

Meanwhile, a little ways from the entrance, Athaliah was wasting no time in covering as much ground as possible. She had ran into a couple of Golbats, and managed to take down a pack of Dugtrio, but other than that, she had managed to avoid trouble. Her main goal was to find the exit, and then train near it as she waited for Xenos and Malik.

"Well well well," said a sinister sounding voice, "Now what do we have here?"

Athaliah glared as a dark figure approached her from a nearby cave wall. It was a boy, and she guessed that he must have been at least sixteen or seventeen. He had slick, brown hair, and the only thing he had with him were his clothes and a belt with six poke balls.

"I don't suppose you'd like a handsome companion to keep ya company," he said with a hint of an ego, "huh girly?"

"Sorry," Athaliah replied, "I don't keep the company of small boys who can't even compete with my Pokémon."

"Oh, we'll see about that," he replied angrily, "and while I'm at it, I'll teach you some manners, go Arbok and Nidorino!"

"You're the one who needs a lesson," she shouted, "Go, Swampert and Poochyena!"

All four Pokémon came roaring out of their balls, and all were staring each other down. The boy began to laugh, but Athaliah just smiled. Although it was true that her Poochyena hadn't yet evolved, it was powerful nonetheless, and she was counting on this trainer underestimating it.

"You're going to send a puppy into battle," he said as he chuckled, "This battle's already over."

"I'm not the one sending out weak little poison types into a cave," she replied with a grin.

The expression on his face changed, but he didn't react in time for his Pokémon to dodge Swampert's earthquake attack. Both his Pokémon were knocked off balance, and Poochyena took the opportunity to begin its attack. It rushed forward, and then lunged at a stumbling Nidorino. Just as it was about to make contact, Arbok knocked it hard to the side, and it crashed into the cave wall.

"No," the trainer shouted over the rumbling ground, "You need to take out that Swampert."

"Just what I was hoping you'd say," Athaliah mumbled under her breath. Sure enough, Arbok came barreling at Swampert, but Athaliah was ready for it. She whistled, and Poochyena slammed into Arbok hard. Nidorino was still off balance, and could barely move. Arbok coiled up angrily, and glared at Poochyena.

"Okay, Arbok," the trainer yelled, "Give that pup a poison sting attack!"

Athaliah clapped her hands twice, and as Poochyena dodged effortlessly, following the rhythm of Athaliah's claps, Swampert kicked up a heap of dirt, and then sprayed it at Arbok with a shot of water. The mud shot attack hit Arbok hard, and it went flying into the cave wall. Swampert was cheering happily, but the earthquake was now ceased, and Swampert hadn't noticed Nidorino rushing directly at it.

With earth shattering force, Nidorino's horn slammed into Swampert hard, but Poochyena was right behind it. It latched onto Nidorino's hind leg, and bit down hard. The poison type Pokémon began to roar in pain, and was now rampaging all over the place. Poochyena timed its attack well, and just as Nidorino blindly barreled for the cave wall, Poochyena let go.

Nidorino stopped roaring, but it was too late to stop itself. It slammed face first into the cave wall, and a pile of rocks finished the attack. Poochyena proudly trotted over to Athaliah, but she was forced to recall Swampert. Meanwhile, the boy returned his Pokémon as well, then walked over to her.

"You know," he said, "you may have won, but now you'll be wandering alone in this cave."

"Well," she replied, "At least I won't have a loser like you slowing me down."

As she began to walk off, however, a bright light filled the cave. Athaliah struggled to adjust her vision, but she had a feeling she knew what was happening. Sure enough, the light dimmed down, and Mightyena stood where its pre-evolutionary form had been. Athaliah cheered happily, and ran over to glomp Mightyena.

"Oh, good boy," she squealed, "Oh, I'm so proud of my little wolfy-pooch!"

Mightyena growled, and shrugged her off of its shoulder. She fell back on her rear, then stood up with a scolding look on her face. she was somewhere in-between frustration and confusion, but nonetheless, she was also happy.

"Hey, mister," she scolded, "If it weren't for me and my grandma, you'd still be out on the streets going hungry, but instead you're here, getting stronger."

Mightyena wagged its tail, and then stuck its tongue out and licked Athaliah from her chin to her forehead. She squealed and wiped her face aggressively, but then returned the dark wolf to its ball. As she trotted along happily, she awaited her next battle.

Xenos covered a considerable amount of ground upon entering the cave, and his Pokémon were itching for a fight. Not only had it been a while since he had trained them, but they had been cooped up ever since Malik's last trip to the hospital. Just when he was about to give up and just let them walk out of their balls, two trainers approached him.

"Well, Mitch, look at what we've got 'ere," said one of them in a rumbling voice.

"Oh, what's this," the other one said sarcastically, "Did someone get lost in the wrong cave, or are you just too stupid to find your way out?"

At first, Xenos said nothing, and just stared at the two strangers. Both of them looked identical, with long blonde hair, and glowing green eyes that seemed to shimmer slightly. One, however, had a scar across his left cheek, and he guessed that Mitch was the other one.

"Oh, indeed I am lost," Xenos said with a smirk, "Maybe one of you ladies can kindly show me to the exit?"

"Oh look, Shamus," Mitch said, "We've got ourselves a bloody smart ass."

"Oi you," Mitch shouted angrily, "No one insults us and gets away with it, so you'd better have your Pokémon ready! Go, Crobat!"

"Go, Raichu," Shamus shouted after his brother.

"I hope you two have some potions, or this cave is going to be a lot harder on you," Xenos said dryly, "Go Blaziken and Espeon!"

As the Pokémon came busting onto the cave floor, there was a tense feeling in the air that seemed to block everything else out. Xenos knew this was exactly what he needed to loosen up his team, and it didn't hurt to have a little warm up match before the championship bouts either. As the trainers commanded their Pokémon, the battle raged fiercely.

Blaziken took off with blinding speed, but Espeon remained in place. The twins' Crobat went to counter the blue fire bird, and Raichu kept its eyes on Espeon. Although Blaziken was a skilled fighting Pokémon, the Crobat was much to fast to take a hit, and was dodging seamlessly. Instead of attacking ferociously, the Crobat was taking small hits when it found an opening on Blaziken, and it was starting to show.

Espeon and Raichu were staring each other down for the most part, but Raichu began to grow nervous and impatient. Finally, after a few minutes, it grew a little too impatient, and attacked Espeon. A massive bolt of electricity shot out from Raichu and aimed streight for Espeon. At first, all three trainers thought it was going to make contact, but then something happened.

Espeon's eyes narrowed, and in a flash of blinding light, the bolt immediately reversed, and hit Raichu dead on. Espeon's tail twitched, and as Raichu tried to recover from its own attack, it was suddenly unable to move. Espeon had the electric mouse Pokémon trapped in psychic energy, and then it lifted Raichu up in the air.

At first, Raichu just floated, dangling helplessly, and began to cry out in pain. Espeon wasted no time in attacking, and began to slam it down on the ground hard. Raichu was repeatedly lifted up and down, multiple times, until finally it went limp. Espeon released it, and then glared over at Crobat. Blaziken was still having a hard time landing a hit, mostly because its moves were becoming slower and sloppier by the second.

Finally, Blaziken went down, partly due to exhausting itself, and the rest from attacks by Crobat. There were massive, purple bumps in various areas on Blaziken, and Xenos knew that meant it had been poisoned. He reluctantly withdrew Blaziken, and Raichu was also returned. The battle had come down to Espeon and Crobat, or so Xenos thought, but as the trainer revealed his second Pokémon, Xenos sent out Arcanine.

The trainer had called upon his Luxray, and the dark electric cat was massive for its kind. Arcanine wasn't intimidated, however, mostly because it was still twice Luxray's size. Crobat was now attempting to pester Arcanine, but Espeon had decided that Crobat was its next target.

Just as Crobat was about to bite down on Arcanine for a venemous strike, Espeon blasted it with psychic energy. The bat Pokémon went flying, literally, but it caught itself quickly. Glaring at Espeon, Crobat sent out a supersonic wave that affected both Espeon and Arcanine. Espeon couldn't focus its psychic energy fast enough, and the bat rushed forward.

Espeon dodged the attack, but Crobat was incredibly fast. Thinking quickly, Xenos commanded Espeon to use double team, and Crobat was forced to a stop. There were multiple copies of Espeon everywhere, and Crobat couldn't focus its attacks. As it began striking at them one by one, Espeon charged a massive amount of psychic energy. With one triumphant blast, Crobat was knocked out of the air, and Espeon jumped and slammed into it hard.

Luxray and Arcanine were simultaniously attacking eachother and dodging in the meantime, but Arcanine's size advantage gave it the edge. As Luxray fired a bolt of electricity at the large dog, Arcanine fired a blast of hot flames to counter it. At first, the attacks locked, but sure enough, Arcanine's fire power was too much for Luxray. The flames ripped through the electric attack, and hit Luxray hard.

At first, Luxray seemed to take the hit well, but then it staggered and collapsed. Xenos half expected Mitch to send out another Pokémon after returning Crobat, but as it turned out, he only had the one Pokémon to battle with. Xenos returned his Pokémon proudly, and smirked at the twins with a gleam in his eye.

"You're going to need a lot more than a cat, a bat, and a rat to beat me," Xenos said, chuckling slightly.

"You," Mitch growled, "I hope you stay lost in this cave, ya bloody wanker!"

"Too right you," Shamus added, "and either way, your Blaziken doesn't have much time left on the clock, mate. You better find an exit soon, or you'll have one less Pokémon to worry about."

With that, the twins laughed loudly, and walked away into the darkness of the cave. Xenos resisted the urge to chase after them, and instead attempted to find his way out of the cave. Although he hated to admit it, they did have a valid point, and Blaziken didn't have much time left.

Although Malik heard the commotion of battles all around him, he paid no attention to the sounds, and instead focussed on finding a spot where he could be alone. He had recently encountered a few Pokémon, but for the most part, it had been a pleasant walk with his Umbreon along side, and the two of them were growing hungrier by the second.

"So Umbreon," Malik said suddenly, looking down at the dark Pokémon, "I'm tempted to open the letter and box from my brother, but I'm thinking maybe I should wait until we meet up with Xenos and Athaliah first, what do you think?"

Umbreon stopped, and seemed to be thinking for a moment. As if answering his question, Umbreon shook its head sideways, and nudged at Malik's bag with its nose. Malik pulled the box and letter out, and then sat down by a cave wall.

"So," Malik said patting Umbreon on the head, "you want me to open it now, huh buddy?"

Umbreon cheered happily, and Malik chuckled slightly. Umbreon had been all personality, even when he was an Eevee, and Malik enjoyed that the most. It seemed that, the more Malik interacted with Umbreon, the happier it became, and that also made it stronger. Malik placed his hand on the letter, and closed his eyes. e remembered Fakir, how they had grown up orphans, and how Fakir used to always protect and care for Malik.

The more he thought about it, the more he realised he missed his older brother, and his eyes began to water slightly. He looked back down at the box and letter, and he was certain that it was probably a poke ball. It must have been specially made just for Malik, and seeing how it was neatly wrapped, Malik almost couldn't open tore open the letter, and read it out loud:

"My dear brother," Malik read, "Ever since you left home, I knew you were destined for greatness. In just a few short months, you changed our quiet home town into a bustling tourist attraction. We've grown so much ever since you left, and you continue to bring glory to our family name in a way I could only dream of doing. I'm so proud of the man you're becoming, and I know, no matter what happens, you'll do what's right. If you're reading this, then you're on your way to even bigger adventures, starting with the Pokémon League at the Indigo Plateau. Consider this a gift as congratulations for defeating all eight of the gyms in our region. Now, before you go tossing this ball at just any Pokémon, I'll give you a hint about what it does: As you know, apart from studying and creating poke balls, I have also been doing research on legendary Pokémon. It turns out that, while an Ultra Ball or Master Ball may be good for capturing more powerful types of Pokémon, a legendary Pokémon gives off an energy signature different from that of normal Pokémon. I've designed this ball to become five times stronger if you use it on a Legendary Pokémon. Now, you have to ask yourself, 'where would I find such a Pokemon?' That, my brother, is up to you to discover. With love, Fakir."

Malik carefully put the letter back in his bag, and then began to cry. Umbreon grew sad as well, and rested its head on Malik's leg. Malik sat and cried, remembering his brother and all they had been through, and hating himself for being the one that killed him. He didn't care that it was an accident, it was still his fault. After a few minutes, Malik wiped his eyes and pulled out the ball his brother made for him.

It felt heavier than usual, but it was considerably smaller than most poke balls. It was silver all around, and the strip around the middle of the ball was solid black. It felt cool and ominous in his hand, and an etched 'V' above the opening button was slightly visible in the dim light of the cave. He placed it back in the black box, and put the box back in his bag. After a moment of silence, he got up strongly, and continued to venture through the cave. There was still much to be done, and he was ready to face any challenges that stood in his way head on.


	36. Chapter 36

_**Ch. 36: The Light At The End**_

Although neither Malik, Athaliah, or Xenos knew it, the night had passed with a cold wind that seemed to diminish almost any warmth. Xenos and Malik, being so similar, both managed to find comfortable surroundings to make camp, while Athaliah had a slightly different plan. She had her Kingdra make a make-shift water bed, and she used a mixture of food and some clay-like dirt that she dug up for the outer layer. For the final touch, she made Starmie use its psychic ability to harden the now frozen bed.

For most of the night, the three trainers slept decently, with only Malik being disturbed by strange noises every few hours. He had found a gathering of smooth rocks, and had Scizor and Umbreon crush them into an almost perfect powder. It wasn't his first choice, but the cave had offered little else to choose from, and for the most part, his sandy dwellings made for a comfortable sleep. The only problem he now faced were the wild Pokémon lurking in the shadows.

Xenos had it a bit easier than the others, for he had used Arcanine's fiery breath to smooth a portion of the ground into a glassy substance, and had Espeon use its psychic power to make the glass unbreakable with a barrier. It was solid, and hard, but with the added blankets Xenos had kept with him, his bed was by far the most comfortable. In his area of the cave, there seemed to be not only a shortage, but a general lack of wild Pokémon or trainers, and he remained undisturbed for the entire night.

Although Malik's make-shift bed was relatively comfortable, the cries of wild Pokémon near him were making sleep almost impossible to achieve. It wasn't until about six hours passed by that he thought of a plan to gain sleep. Filled with the sudden energy of excitement, he reached for his bag and sent out Kadabra. The grayish-brown psychic Pokémon showed signs of drowsiness, and as it lazily yawned, Malik scowled slightly.

"Kadabra," he said in a stout tone, "I need you to put me to sleep with some hypnosis."

At first Kadabra looked at him, opening only one eye to do so, then it fell asleep. Malik was so tired that his anger got the better of him for a moment, and he almost snapped. He wanted to yell, or throw something at Kadabra, but then his energy flickered, and he remembered that he could sense its aura.

He closed his eyes slowly, and for a moment, he thought he would pass out, and then he saw it. Kadabra's aura was an intensely bright blue, and although it was asleep, the psychic Pokemon's aura was shining incredibly bright. Malik channeled his thoughts, portraying himself asleep, and attempted to invoke Kadabra's consciousness to interpret the image. For a moment, there was a feeling of understanding, but then an image returned to Malik.

At first, there was only a bright whiteness all around, and then Malik was standing next to Kadabra, or so he thought. Malik could see Kadabra, and then he looked right. He couldn't believe his eyes, but he was now looking directly at himself. He was clean and dressed, and was also in the midst of a battle. Kadabra was up against another trainer, and when Malik looked over, he saw Machamp and Giovanni Jr.

Malik stepped back and rubbed his eyes, and for a moment, he didn't know what to think. Retracing his steps, he almost thought this was a vision, but then he realized it must have been a dream, and he had somehow entered it. Both Pokémon showed the obvious signs of a fierce battle, but Machamp looked a bit healthier than Kadabra. In a fetal attempt to end the fight, Kadabra fired a beam of psychic energy at the four-armed Pokémon. However, having just enough energy left, the fighting Pokémon dodged the attack, then rushed at Kadabra and tossed it up in the air.

The vision began to shake, and Malik was back in the cave, with Kadabra waking up sleepily. Malik smiled, and just when Kadabra woke up, he realized what it meant. He looked over at his Pokémon happily, and began to speak in a soft voice:

"You know something," Malik said, "Even though you're one of the toughest Pokémon I've ever met, you have the most anxiety I've ever seen."

Kadabra merely snuffed at Malik, too proud to admit that its trainer was right. Kadabra, although it was powerful, was worried that it might not be strong enough to defeat Giovanni Jr., and as a result, it was now suffering from these nightmares. Just when Kadabra snapped out of its thoughts, Malik was already in front of it.

"Don't you worry," Malik said softly, placing a hand on Kadabra's shoulder, "I know just the thing."

Malik revealed a small silver spoon, however, unlike the other spoon Kadabra held, this one was engraved with an 'M' on it. Malik handed it to Kadabra with a smile, and the psychic Pokémon seemed caught off guard. Malik took a step back, smiling, and spoke again:

"I was saving this for when you got a little stronger," he said a bit more firmly, "but if you're ready to evolve, I can make that happen, old friend."

Kadabra's eyes watered, and it was filled with a mixture of excitement, and happiness. Malik may not have been a psychic, but Kadabra was convinced that Malik shared a true understanding with his Pokémon. Nodding in agreement, KAdabra took a step forward, and crossed its arms firmly. As it bowed its head in meditation, Malik pointed his hands, and began to glow white with energy.

For a moment, the energy merely gathered in Malik's arms, but then something strange happened. He felt the other energy forces moving through him, and they were violent. Their auras suggested that they intended to corrupt Kadabra, and not invoke the evolutionary phase, and Malik fought it off as best he could. His aura flared from white to red, and then to blue and gold. He became lost in the torment of controlling it, and felt his grip on Kadabra's aura shift slightly.

Suddenly, the gold aura was gone, and for a moment, Malik thought it had left him, but then he was able to open his eyes. What he saw was expected, yet he was still in complete shock at the sight. Where Kadabra once stood, Alakazam was in its place, and both spoons bore a lightning bolt shaped eye. His face grew wide with a smile, but as he rushed to hug his new Pokémon, it glared, and shoved him back with psychic energy.

Confused, Malik scowled once again, and then returned to his original plan. He layed down on the sand bed he had made, and stared at Alakazam. For a good ten minutes, neither of them moved, and they were both just staring each other down. Finally, growing weary of this nonsense, Malik stood up, walked over to Alakazam, and glared at it deeply.

"I don't know what's gotten into you," he said angrily, "but you've got until the count of three to do as I say, and use hypnosis on me, or you can find a new trainer!"

Malik counted to one, but Alakazam remained still. Then on the count of two, Malik reached for its poke ball, and Alakazam grew nervous, but yet again refused to move. When Malik got to three, there was a deep anger in his tone, but his emotions, from what Alakazam could tell, showed no signs that he was bluffing, and before Malik crushed its ball, he was put to sleep in an instant.

The following day, both Xenos and Athaliah were awake, and had slept through the entire night peacefully. Malik, however, was still completely unconscious, and luckily, Alakazam had loyally returned to its ball. Although it didn't understand why, Alakazam had felt an extreme defiance towards Malik, but had no idea as to why.

Athaliah and Xenos both started their day differently, yet both of them were completely energized and well rested. Xenos had slept until a little after noon, and being the excellent cook he was, he had Arcanine start up a fire, and he made a delicious brunch. Athaliah, however, had brought for that was already prepared, and wasted no time in continuing on her venture through the cave.

Xenos was plopped down on a soft boulder, and as he carved his way through the delicious steak and eggs he had cooked up, he couldn't help but feel a little anxious. It had only been a day since the group entered the cave, and although he was the first one in, he knew he might not be the first one out. As the thought of losing the race he and the others were having settled in, he scarfed down his food, and set out once again in the hopes of leaving this cave as fast as possible.

Athaliah had walked for a few hours now, but as soon as she began having trouble seeing, she knew she was venturing deeper inside of the cave. With only Starmie to guide her through, she carefully scoured for a path that led to a brighter part of the cave. She walked for a few hours, but the only thing she had managed to find were a few dead ends, and a path blocked by a even more walking, she was beginning to grow frustrated, but then she ran into a familiar face.

Xenos had left a little too quickly after eating, and he could feel his sides cramping up. However, he was used to walking cramps off like a bad hangover, and he continued on. Blaziken was still poisoned, and so instead of searching for an exit, Xenos set his sights on any berries or plants he could use to conjure up an antidote. Most poisons contracted in battle weren't fast acting, and he was familiar with a multitude of plants and berries he could use to make the fire bird feel better, and even recover.

A few hours of walking, and still Xenos had found nothing but a group of Zubats and Golbats fluttering about. Suddenly, a cold breeze blew past him, and he saw what looked like a female standing before him. At first, he couldn't make out the figure in the dim lighting of the cave, but then he recognized the girl.

From a few feet away, Xenos and Athaliah could barely see eachother, but after a year of traveling together, they both knew when they spotted each other. Ironically, Athaliah wasn't the least bit surprised, but Xenos was in complete shock. He hadn't expected to run into Malik or Athaliah until he made it out of the cave, but it seemed that fate decided to pit them against each other sooner than expected.

"So," Athaliah said loudly, "Finally used that small brain of yours to venture further into the cave, eh Xenos?"

"You're one to talk," Xenos said just as loudly, "Or maybe you're just lost, and I was tracking you down!"

"No," she replied as she glanced at her nails with a smirk, "You're not that smart!"

"Careful ow you talk," Xenos replied with an even bigger smile, "because Malik isn't here to protect you anymore, and I've been itching for a good battle."

"Well then" she replied happily, "Why waste anymore time? Go, Swampert!"

"Good point," Xenos shouted, "Go, Espeon!"

The two Pokémon came out snarling, and the energy among the trainers and their Pokémon was vibrant and fierce. Xenos and Athaliah weren't the kind to waste time on theatrics, and both attacked head on. Swampert managed to make the first move, and it fired a massive spray of water at Espeon. The fork-tailed cat's eyes glowed with a bright pink aura, and it grasped the water with some difficulty.

"Not so easy," Athaliah said proudly, noticing Espeon struggling to stop the attack, "When you're up against a pro, huh Xenos?"

"Just wait," Xenos replied, "There's more to psychic type Pokémon than just petty strength! Espeon, use future sight!"

As Espeon struggled to deflect the powerful water being fired at it by Swampert, its eyes began to glow a bright purple color, and then the energy evaporated. Finally, Swampert ceased its attack, and Espeon was able to relax a bit. Although it hadn't taken any damage, Espeon had spent a greater part of its energy in stopping the attack, and it was panting slightly.

Athaliah smirked, but so did Xenos. Swampert was eager for more, and rushed at Espeon fast and hard. Espeon was still panting, but on command, it recovered its energy rapidly. Swampert was caught off guard by this, and just as it attacked, Espeon sent it flying back with a wave of psychic energy. With precision timing, the future sight attack slammed Swampert hard to the ground, and it was now struggling to get up. Espeon's tail twitched, but before Xenos could give the final attack, Espeon teleported to Swampert, and slammed into it hard.

Finally, the massive mudfish went down, and Athaliah was forced to recall it. Although Xenos had won the first round, he was still at a great disadvantage, for Athaliah had a team full of water type Pokémon, and only two other Pokémon were different types. He knew that her Pokémon were well trained, but he had done some training of his own, and the only question that remained now was whose Pokémon were better.

Athaliah wasted no time in pity, and sent out Mightyena. Espeon was indeed powerful, but it was no match for the dark power of Mightyena. He was forced to recall his psychic Pokémon, and instead sent out Arcanine. The massive, striped dog came out howling, and once it noticed Mightyena, it howled loudly. The echo of the howl reverberated through the cave, and the cave walls themselves seemed to tremble.

"So," Xenos said aloud, "That little puppy of yours finally ready for a real battle?"

"Oh sure," Athaliah replied, "Just as soon as we find a real trainer. Do you know any?"

"Grr, I'll make you choke on those words soon enough! Arcanine, use flamethrower!"

"Mightyena, use hyper beam," Athaliah commanded.

Both Pokémon fired their attacks, and they were evenly matched at first. Both dogs put forth an excessive amount of force, and for a moment, Mightyena gained the edge. Arcanine finally side-stepped, and dodged the hyper beam blast. The beam fired into a cave wall and destroyed it almost completely. However, both Xenos and Athaliah were too focussed to notice the exit they recently made by accident. On command, Arcanine lunged forward from its side-stepping position, and bolted for Mightyena.

Arcanine's speed was impressive, even for an experienced Pokémon, and Mightyena had a hard time tracking it. Just before the attack landed, however, Mightyena stepped forward once, and bit down. Mightyena managed to catch Arcanine's leg. Biting down hard, Mightyena managed to snap a bone, or at least fracture one. Arcanine roared out in pain, but instead of flinching, Arcanine's rage grew tremendously.

Before anyone knew what was happening, Arcanine exploded in a massive wave of fire, and the air around it began to burn red hot. Mightyena refused to let go, even when Athaliah ordered it to. She and Xenos could now tell that Arcanine was over-heating from sheer rage, but Mightyena's pride was keeping it latched on. Arcanine glared down at the dark Pokemon, but instead of pupils, its eyes were completely glowing red.

Mightyena realized what was happening much too late, and Arcanine finally exploded in a fiery blaze. Luckily, Arcanine used what little was left of its rational mind to avoid burning the trainers, but the space in-between them was engulfed in a massive, flaming ball. The flames swirled like the inferno they resembled, and the light issued throughout the cave as far as the tunnels permitted. Mightyena tried its best to avoid the attack, but there was nowhere for it to run, and its was trapped. With one final mighty roar, Arcanine stomped, and the flames twirled even more violently.

Although he was proud of Arcanine for winning, Xenos hadn't anticipated the outcome of this attack. As the attack ceased, and Mightyena collapsed, Arcanine collapsed as well. The exhaustion from using up so much power had taken its toll, and the two Pokémon were downed. As both trainers recalled their Pokémon, there was a silence as they now knew the battle wouldn't be as quick as they wanted.

Meanwhile, back where Malik was unconscious, a certain group of wild Pokémon were growing a little too curious, and he was quickly surrounded. For almost the entire day, Malik had remained unconscious, but his mind quickly became a cluster of nightmarish images, and he was slowly tormented.

The visions rushing through his mind were horrifying and tragic, and as he relived each terrible memory he held in his mind, he was trapped even more. On the outside, he was merely just another victim of Gastly and Haunter's nightmare technique, but inside, things were even worse. Visions of those close to him perishing, the memory of his brother and father, and even a random, screaming woman, all ripped through his mind like a hurricane.

He jolted up, finally awake, but something was odd. He was outside the cave now, and Xenos and Athaliah were shaking him roughly. Athaliah's face was riddled with terror, and soaked by tears, while Xenos was more firm and concerned. As Malik sat up, they finally released him, and he tried to contemplate what was happening. He looked around, taking note of a bushel of sitrus berry trees, and the front gates of the Indigo Plataeu, and his confusion sank in.

"How..." he muttered in a weak voice, "How did you guys find me?"  
"Umbreon," Athaliah uttered faintly, "Whatever this was, when it started, Umbreon sought us out in the cave."

"When we found you," Xenos said, "You were screaming things...terrible things. Do you recall any of that?"

"No," Malik said shaking his head no, "I remember having Alakazam put me to sleep, then darkness. That's all I can remember, honest."

"Well," Athaliah said, "Maybe it was just a nightmare. We should get going."

They walked from the hole Athaliah and Xenos had made in the cave during their battle, but now there was nothing around them save for a thick forest. The trees were so dense and close together that the group had to walk single file just to get past them. They finally came to a small clearing, and an odd sight befell their eyes. It was a sign post, and the writing was ancient.


	37. Chapter 37

_**Ch. 37: Flames of Glory**_

As they all stared at the sign post in front of them, none of them could discern what the strange writing meant. Suddenly, they heard a shuffling from behind them, and Malik raised his fists expecting a threat. A trainer finally managed to struggle through a thick bush, and stumble out of the thicket in front of them. He was a little shorter than Athaliah, and had a green and white striped shirt and some khakis on. Malik noticed he only had three Pokémon with him, and was staring with a puzzled look on his face.

"Oh good," the young trainer sighed in exhaustion, "Glad I'm not the only one who made it to the league this year. The name's Keiji," he said as he stuck his hand out to Malik.

"Nice...to meet you," Malik said slowly as he shook the trainer's hand, "Did you say something about the league just now?"

"yup, sure did," Keiji continued, "That there sign post is your biggest clue, it says 'Welcome to the Pokémon League entrance. May your spirits burn hot with the flames of glory!'"

"Right," Malik said with a pause, "Well, we'll be going now, we've still gotta register and we're all pretty tired from-"

"I'll go with you," Keiji interrupted bluntly, "It's not every day I make a new friend!"

"We just met, and I know next to nothing about you," Malik said dryly, "I'm sorry, but that hardly qualifies you as my friend."

Malik gestured to the others to walk away, but Malik hadn't noticed the expression on the young boy's face. He was absolutely enraged, and his face was turning more red with each step that Malik took. Malik stopped, noticing that Xenos and Athaliah were both staring at the boy, then he saw it too.

"Are you alright," Malik asked.

"You're just like everyone else," Keiji replied in a mumbled growl, "Well, mister, if you're not my friend, that makes you my enemy."

"No, that doesn't really-" Malik said but was cut off.

"You're going down, right here and now," Keiji shouted pointing at Malik, "and I'll see to it that you never reach the Pokémon League this year."

"I don't have time for this," Malik said as he noticed the sun going down.

As Keiji reached for a poke ball, Malik stepped forward, but no one saw him move. His right hand was angled up, and he was standing perfectly still behind the trainer. At first, Keiji didn't move, and his face was frozen in an empty gaze. Like a rag doll, he suddenly collapsed and dropped the poke ball out of his hand. Malik put the ball back on the trainer's belt, and walked away with the group.

"I don't get why you didn't just fight him," Xenos said, "I mean you probably would've ripped 'em apart, metaphorically speaking."

"The registry for the League closes at 7:30 pm sharp," Malik said, "and by the look of the sky, I'm guessing we may not even make it on time. I especially don't have time to battle some weirdo who thinks knowing his name makes 'em my friend."

"Couldn't you have at least been a little nicer about it," Athaliah suggested, "I mean knocking him out like that could be pretty unsettling, and now he won't be able to register..."

"He wouldn't have done anything without a fight," Malik replied as they approached the main building for the Pokémon League, "Knocking him out _was _the nice way."

The group fell into silence at the sight of the massive stadium. Until now, Malik hadn't realised just how big the Pokémon League was. He had read everything about it in magazines and seen it on television, but the impact of it all was crashing down on him like a tidal wave. After a moment of silence, they entered the building, and Malik immediately checked the clock: 7:25 pm.

"We made it," he said with a smile, and then ran towards the registry desk.

The woman sitting at the desk was fairly old, with pink and gray hair, and wore a white business dress. Malik's hands clasped the desk, his excitement teeming out of him wildly, and she happily looked up at him. The three of them managed to get the last available slots, but it forced Malik and Xenos to face each other for their first match, and they made their way to the stadium arenas they were designated to.

"Whatever happens," Athaliah said to both Malik and Xenos, "We're still friends after this, got it?"

"Got it," Malik and xenos both said in unison.

Malik knew this was it, and as he and Xenos made their way to the ice field, and Athaliah to the rock field, a certain energy sparked inside them all, and even Umbreon could feel the intensity of their souls. The flames of glory would indeed burn hot within them, and the battles were just around the corner.

Luckily, the contesting trainers got front row seats to the battle, allowing them to study their opponents' battling techniques and styles. Both Xenos and Malik watched as one by one, trainers won and lost, and criticised their techniques and Pokemon. Since Malik and Xenos would be the last trainers to battle in the first bout, they didn't hint at any new updates about their own Pokemon. Suddenly, Malik remembered Xenos' Espeon, and was glaring down at Umbreon without realising it.

Umbreon's ear twitched nervously as Malik glared, and finally, Umbreon angrily bit Malik's leg hard. As blood ran down Malik's leg, and Xenos laughed wildly, the tension between them was lifted, and Malik used it as an excuse to get away from Xenos for a minute. He was just outside the door to the stadium, and as he dressed his wound, he spoke to Umbreon.

"Listen buddy," Malik said calmly, "Xenos has Espeon, and I know you're in love and all, but if it comes down to it, you fight."

As Umbreon thought for a moment, and then nodded, Malik smiled. Although Umbreon was indeed infatuated with Xenos' Espeon, Umbreon's loyalty to Malik was much stronger. As they made their way back to the ice field, Malik noticed movement under the bleachers, and for a moment, was staring to try and see who it was. A man in a red usher uniform approached, and Malik was interrupted.

"Excuse me," the man said as he held the stadium door open for Malik to enter, "Your battle will begin shortly, good luck."

"Oh no," Malik said, laughing slightly, "I'm in the last bout, there's still a battle going on out there."

"Not so," the man replied stoutly, "That battle has passed, and yours is up next."

"What," Malik shouted incredulously, "It only started five minutes ago!"

He made his way to the battle field, and was filled with a sudden nauseating sensation as the reality of the situation sank in. He was either going to defeat his best friend, or lose what he had fought so hard for to him. After a moment, Malik tried to calm himself down, and proudly stepped onto his podium. Xenos was already waiting, and the crowd was still cheering incredibly loud. Malik noticed a familiar news team below them, most likely reporting the news of the final bout, but he was more concerned with the smirk that Xenos had on his face.

"Come on, Malik," the blue haired smart-alic said firmly, "I've waited a long time for this."

"I'll warn you now," Malik retorted, "I'm not going easy on you, so bring your a game!"

"Oh, I'm gonna bring it," Xenos mumbled to himself.

"Alright folks this is it," a male voice blared over the intercom, "The final bout for the first round elimination knock out! On the red post, we have the mysterious trainer, Xenos!"

the crowd roared loudly, and Malik's ears rang from the uproar. It had been some time since he had heard such loud cheering.

"And dawning the blue post is the rising star, Malik, from Pallet Town!"

Suddenly, Malik heard the sound of drums and trumpets, and looked over to see Prof. Oak standing amidst a band. He buried his face into his hand, seeing a massive sign that read 'GO MALIK GO!' and noticed people with face paint, body paint, and one little girl who had a stuffed replica of his Umbreon. Xenos jealously glared, but Malik was annoyed.

"This is the moment you've all been waiting for," the announcer continued, "This battle is sure to be hot, so lets get started!"

Xenos was the first to send out his Pokémon, and Malik wasn't surprised to see him send out Espeon. Malik looked down at Umbreon, but saw that the moonlight Pokémon was already on the battle field. As the battle began, everything around Malik seemed to go silent, and his focus increased tremendously. With both Pokémon ready to go, this intense battle was sure to set the mood for the entire League.


	38. Chapter 38

_**Ch. 38: Resting Assured**_

Umbreon and Espeon had been staring each other down for a few minutes, but Malik could sense that, instead of being unwilling to attack, both Pokémon were actually trying to think of _how _they were going to attack. He could also sense Xenos growing impatient, but Xenos had trained himself to control this. Far too often, Xenos had experienced defeat from rushing in blindly, and Malik knew this battle would not be the same as before. both of them had honed thir skills, as well as training their Pokémon, but Malik had a few new surprises for his friend.

"Okay, Espeon," Xenos said calmly, "This battle won't be easy, but we can take that Umbreon down if we're careful. First things first, use Sunny Day!"

Malik's eyes struggled to adjust as a bright light issued from Espeon's red gem. Shielding his eyes, he felt Umbreon take a heavy hit from the left side, and Malik glared trying to focus. He linked to Umbreon, and finally managed to connect.

"Come on, buddy," he spoke telepathicly, "Just like we've trained. Remember that you aren't bound by your eyes, and darkness is your strength."

As Malik's eyes adjusted to the bright light, Umbreon dashed forward. Xenos smirked, thinking Umbreon was blinded still, but he soon lost his cocky grin. Umbreon purposely ran to Espeon's side, feigning blindness, then suddenly turned and bit down on Espeon's neck hard. Although he wasn't drawing any blood, Umbreon summoned its own dark energy, and Espeon cried out in pain as the dark energy penetrated its neck and sides. Leaping back, Umbreon watched as its dark fang attack took its toll, and Espeon collapsed.

"I guess no matter how much you train," Malik shouted to Xenos, "It really does come down to type after all, eh bud?"

"If you think you're winning this battle, you're in for a shock my friend," Xenos replied as he sent out his next Pokémon.

Again, Malik had anticipated the move, and as he watched Arcanine come roaring out, he accepted the challenge. Glaring, Umbreon could sense Malik's excitement to take down yet another of Xenos' Pokemon, but Malik hadn't noticed how tired Umbreon was. The battle ensued as the crowd roared even louder, and Malik realised that, after seeing the poor battling of earlier trainers, this must have been the best excitement they had seen all day. Arcanine was running faster than Malik remembered it to, and Umbreon was caught off guard.

Just as Arcanine leaped, it used an impressive double team, and Umbreon had nowhere to go. Taking a direct hit, Umbreon went sliding back hard. Arcanine stopped just long enough to make Umbreon feisty, then rushed again. This time, Umbreon focussed more, and as Arcanine lunged again, it was caught off guard by a massive shadow ball. At first, Arcanine caught the ball in its mouth, but Umbreon's ear twitched and the ball exploded in the large dog's face.

A thick cloud of black smoke hovered in front of Arcanine's face, and Umbreon seized the opportunity to strike hard and fast. Moving with blinding speed, the dark Pokémon struck from the left and right, and Arcanine roared in enraged pain. Finally, just as Umbreon was about to strike again, Arcanine breathed out intense flames, and not only did the smoke clear, but Umbreon was caught in the blast. Bouncing off the ground hard as it was struck down, Umbreon was smoking from the tremendous heat.

Out on the ice field, Arcanine was still roaring, and flames were surrounding it. As it lashed out with intense heat, the field began to melt slightly. Arcanine then began to lunge from side to side, melting parts of the ice until Umbreon had nowhere to go. Finally, Umbreon was cornered, and Arcanine spit out a powerful stream of flames down on him.

Watching in horror as Umbreon was scorched intensely, Malik could do nothing for the dark Pokémon. Finally, Arcanine ceased his attack, and jumped back to his side of the field. As Malik looked down to command Umbreon, he finally saw the extent of damage his Pokémon had taken, and Umbreon collapsed. Malik quickly returned the dark Pokémon to its ball with a stern glare at Xenos, who was merely waving his hand as if to urge Malik forward.

"I'll give you something to smirk about," Malik murmured angrily.

Arcanine stopped roaring, but the crowd was still in a wild mix of cheering and screaming, and the difference between the two was painfully obvious to Malik's ears. He sent out his next Pokémon, and felt slightly satisfied at Xenos' surprised face. Alakazam had come out of its ball rather calmly, and Arcanine was growling slightly.

"So," Xenos began, "I see you decided to evolve him the 'special' way, after all?"

"Well," Malik replied, "I guess you could say I wanted to give it my all."

"That's good," Xenos retorted, "You're going to need it if you really want to win."

Malik glared, but didn't have any time to be angry as Arcanine dashed forward. Alakazam seemed unmoved by the massive beast, and as Arcanine sent out a hot stream of flames, Malik's psychic Pokémon simply flicked its wrist, and the dog was sent flying back with a powerful wave of psychic energy. Arcanine foolishly rushed forward a few more times, and each time was sent back hard by Alakazam. Xenos tried his best not to become impatient or enraged, but after the fifth time, he'd had enough.

"Arcanine what are you doing," Xenos shouted angrily, "Stop fooling around and take out that psychic Pokémon now!"

"A little late for that," Malik said with a smirk, "Alakazam, use psybeam attack, now!"

Alakazam nodded, and as Arcanine tried to gather its energy for an attack, it was too late. Crossing both its spoons in the air above its head, Alakazam sent out a massive, multi-colored beam os telekinetic energy. Arcanine didn't have any time to react, and within seconds, it was hit hard. Arcanine roared in pain, and went down immediately after the attack ceased. Lowering its arms, the psychic Pokémon merely shrugged as if it were no challenge at all, and Malik felt a massive grin stretch across his face.

"Arcanine, return," Xenos said in a flustered tone, recalling the dog to its ball.

"What's wrong, Xenos," Malik said jeeringly, "Can't control your own Pokémon?"

"I'll show you, Malik," Xenos shouted back, "It's gonna take more than a powerful psychic Pokémon to beat me!"

"Let's agree to disagree," Malik replied sarcastically.

Xenos said nothing as he sent out his Gyarados, who came roaring out onto the field. Malik chuckled slightly, but as the massive dragon-like Pokémon scorched the rest of the ice with a fiery blast from its gaping mouth and dove into the water, Malik became worried.

"Isn't this exciting folks," the announcer blared out, "Xenos' Gyarados has melted the ice of the field into a giant pool of water. Things aren't looking to hot for Malik as this heated battle rages on!"

Alakazam, Malik noticed, was having a much harder time locking onto the water Pokémon, and as Gyarados swirled under the water swiftly, a massive tidal wave began to form. Gyarados wasted no time, and as Alakazam tried to attack once more, it was struck down hard by a wall of water. Splashing into the water as well, Alakazam's psychic barrier had done little to protect it from the damage, and it could no longer levitate over the water.

"See, Malik," Xenos shouted, "What'd I tell ya?"

"IT's not over 'til it's over," Malik roared back.

"Well, you've got that part right," Xenos retorted.

Malik watched in horror as Alakazam's energy was cut off by the swirling water, and it was unable to regain its focus. Gyarados was rushing from all sides, striking Alakazam hard and fast, and Malik now knew how Xenos must have felt when Arcanine took such damage. Finally, Gyarados mustered the energy for its final attack, but Alakazam's eyes began to glow.

Malik could feel its intense rage, and as the water serpent charged its Hyper Beam, Alakazam formed a psychic orb around itself, and began to float above the water's surface. As it glared from its blue orb, Alakazam awaited the blast angrily. Without hesitation, Gyarados fired the blast streight at the psychic Pokémon, but it was too late. With a move as swift as the blast itself, Alakazam reversed the beam, and it struck Gyarados hard.

At first, nothing happened, other than Gyarados roaring angrily from being hit by its own attack. Alakazam lowered itself calmly, forming a barrier over the water to stand on, and flicked its other wrist this time. Gyarados immediately collapsed, and Alakazam flexed its muscles in a flashy way, boasting over its defeat of Gyarados. The massive water dragon splashed heavily into the water, and Xenos was forced to call it back.

The overwhelming feeling of defeat was settling in on Xenos' face, and Malik almost felt bad for doing it to him. As Malik recalled Alakazam, and the announcer roared into the microphone excitedly, he couldn't help but feel slightly guilty. Suddenly, Xenos glared over at him with a strong smile, and Malik became confused.

"I guess I'll have to get ya next time around," Xenos said proudly,

"Now don't get cocky, and _maybe _you'll come out of this league on top!"

"Don't worry," Malik replied, "I'm sure they'll be way easier than you were."

The two trainers stared for a moment before exiting the arena, and the roar of the crowd seemed to drown out anything else. Malik thought back to when he had first met Xenos, how rugged of a trainer he was, and how he had helped Malik reach his goals. As they left, he smiled at the memories, and looked forward to defeating the rest of the Pokémon League.


End file.
